


Pure Red Moon

by This_Ginger_Can_Not_Read



Series: Pure Red Moon series [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Follows the story line, For the most part, Gen, Hurt and comfort, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-09 18:24:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17411933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_Ginger_Can_Not_Read/pseuds/This_Ginger_Can_Not_Read
Summary: Akagami Kasumi has known from a young age that his father was an important man. He knew for just as long that being related to his father had pros and cons, like the marines wanting him dead. That never stopped his dream to be a pirate, and a friend like Monkey D. Luffy definitely didn't change his mind! Follow as Kasumi finds his purpose in life and makes friends along the way.





	1. As fate would have it

Akagami Kasumi. A wanted child. He had known ever since he was young that his father was a decently important person, with information that others needed to know and had to take extra care to make sure that no one ever found out that Kasumi existed. Because of his father’s importance, Kasumi had his own importance. He didn’t really understand what it was, but as he got older, it made more sense why he had to stay hidden. Though some people knew of him, like Dracule Mihawk or the Redhaired pirates, but most individuals did not need to know who Kasumi was. At the age of five, he was told he was an Akagami but to never say it. So he kept his identity a secret and followed in his father’s footsteps.

Kasumi had also learned who Monkey D. Luffy was at a young age. Sitting in Makino’s bar, sipping on water while she cleaned out her mugs. They were both waiting for Shanks to arrive back and drink up all the booze, Makino had said. Kasumi didn’t care, he just wanted to see his dad again, and his uncle Benn! Uncle Yasopp always got upset when he was more excited to see Benn, but Kasumi couldn’t help it. He always loved hearing Benn’s story. But most of all, he wanted to see his father. Apparently, someone else was just as eager.

“Makino, is Shanks back yet?” Kasumi whipped his head around as the door slammed open to reveal a child younger than himself standing in the doorway, a determined look on his face as he marched over to where Makino was, ultimately bringing him closer to Kasumi as well.

Makino had smiled at the little boy and shook her head, pointing towards the door with one of her petite hands. “He’ll be walking through that door any minute though so why don’t you sit next to Kasumi? I’m sure he’ll be very excited that his two favorite boys were waiting for him to come back!” This caught Kasumi’s attention as he stared at Luffy, watching the ravenette blink at Kasumi with large eyes. “What’s a Kasumi?” He had asked, picking his nose and staring passed Kasumi to Makino. Kasumi shied away, ducking his head down and sipping at his water.

A loud laugh from the doorway caught Luffy’s attention before he could figure out who Kasumi really was. “Why Luffy, he’s a little boy I always tell you about! Right in that seat!” But Luffy was no longer looking at Kasumi, or even Makino. His eyes were wide as he raced to hug Shanks.

“You’ve been gone too long, idiot!” He had cried out, wrapping tightly to Shanks. Shanks had laughed, patting his head and smiled at Kasumi, holding a hand out for him to come run up and hug him as well. But before he could, Benn had walked in and scooped him up, making him eye level with his father.

“Uncle Benn!” Kasumi had squeaked out, hugging tightly to his neck before reaching out for his father. He knew he wasn’t allowed to call him his dad in public, but he still wanted to show the man that he missed him. It was two weeks, but to a nine and seven year old, two weeks was too long! So he watched Luffy become disentangled from the other man by Yasopp who started excitedly telling him stories so Luffy was distracted enough that Kasumi could get time with his father.

“Hi daddy,” He whispered, hugging his father’s neck tightly while pressing his face into his shoulder. “Hi Kas,” Shanks had whispered back, hugging him tight enough to make breathing hard but a few seconds without air was nothing compared to two weeks without his father. He couldn’t wait until he was old enough to actually go out to see with him! Then he would never have to miss him. He had told Shanks as much. Though he didn’t know why Uncle Benn and Yasopp had grimaced but his father had grinned widely at him and hugged him at the idea.

“Shanks, tell me about your adventures! What did you guys do- Who is he?” Kasumi’s head popped up, turning to look at the other child in the room. Luffy was staring up at him, tiny arms crossed and a pout on his face. Yasopp had the same expression, claiming that Luffy wouldn’t listen when he tried to tell the stories of what they’d been doing.

Shanks set Kasumi down, who quickly moved towards Benn while Makino hugged Shanks and his crew to welcome them back. “Luffy, this is Kasumi. I’ve told you about him before.” Luffy only tilted his head, flat expression on his face as he looked between Kasumi and Shanks. Kasumi, growing uncomfortable, reached a little hand out in greeting. Luffy smiled widely at him and took his hand, shaking enthusiastically. “I’m Luffy, it’s nice to meet you! We should be friends!” Kasumi, not used to the idea of having friends his age, only nodded and smiled back. Like his father, he had a natural charm and Luffy liked him from the moment they shook hands.

 

Kasumi thought about that moment a lot, especially when Luffy and himself were being taken up to the mountains by Monkey D. Garp. Because now he was holding tightly onto Luffy’s hand while they made their way to meet Dadan and the mountain bandits. Though Kasumi had never been scared of tough individuals before, he would blame his father for that one, he did know that someone else was waiting up there to meet him. Another child, around his and Luffy’s age and Kasumi wasn’t so sure that they would like him.

Though Luffy had never figured out that he was Shanks’ son, it was almost too obvious from the red of his hair, to the waves and part, to the grin that spread across his face anytime he was happy. Garp had noticed it instantly, grilling him about his relations to Shanks, only for the now ten year old to state that it was merely coincidence, that Shanks had found him on this island, like he had been told to tell others.

Garp had taken him along with Luffy, hoping to break him of his pirate intentions and make a real marine out of him and Luffy. Luffy hadn’t been willing to give in, but Kasumi had stated that Garp seemed like a strong and kind man so he wouldn’t mind staying around. Garp had taken a liking to him, ruffling his hair while punching Luffy hard for pirate talk.

When they arrived, Kasumi learned that Dadan was a curly redhead, much like himself, though her hair was more strawberry blonde. This helped him blend in a little more, keeping the questions of his parents out of the way. However, as he looked around, he noticed that there were no other children there. Dadan had noticed and stated that Ace was out in the woods, probably hunting. Luffy didn’t like that answer, looking around and finding that they were being watched by the kid in question.

“Hi, I’m Luffy! I hope we can be friends!” Kasumi watched in horror as Ace spit at Luffy and walked away. Kasumi was never one for violence. His father had always told him to be as civil as possible until his friends were in danger or he felt he needed to stand up for them. He had never gotten in trouble for his ideals before, so Kasumi had marched up to Ace, pushing Luffy behind him and pulled a training sword out of its sheath. He held out one arm in front of Luffy and glared up at Ace in the tree.

“You don’t have to like us, but you better respect us.” He grit out, and Dadan gawked while Garp only guffawed at how Kasumi acted. “That one has spirit. He’d make a great marine!” However, Kasumi wasn’t thinking about that, or even listening. He was keeping his full attention on Ace. He was waiting for Ace to make a move, but instead Ace jumped down from his tree and left them behind.

Luffy chased after him, pushing passed Kasumi to talk to Ace. Kasumi sheathed his sword and turned back to the adults, more comfortable in their presence. Though they began asking him where he got his sword and how he learned to use it.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not the best with a sword, but my f-friend used one and I want to be like him! I’ll never be the best swordsman but I want to be a good one!” Garp ruffled his hair, not realizing that Kasumi meant as a pirate, but he didn’t want to get hit by Garp so he refrained from mentioning his father or pirates. Though he almost slipped up and had to replace father with friend. He sweatdropped as no one caught his slip, chalking it up to them not knowing him well enough yet. So he walked in with Garp and made sure to learn as much as he could about Dadan and the bandits.

 

It wasn’t until much later in his stay that he began to befriend to Ace. Though they always came back to the same place, Ace and Kasumi seemed to stay away from each other as much as they could. Kasumi couldn’t believe Ace’s disgusting attitude and Ace couldn’t stand Kasumi’s need to protect Luffy at every turn. Whether it was for leaving him behind or for not leaving him enough food, Ace and Kasumi would get into small fights. Pipe clashed against Sword a little too often in the Bandits’ hideout.

One of their fights happened after Luffy had been injured from one of Ace’s attempts to push him away and Kasumi had gotten so fed up that he had gone to seek Ace out, even while Luffy protested and pulled at his arm. Kasumi had his mind set on this one and strode towards where Ace was with determination.

Ace had just put away the money he’d stolen for the day when he saw Kasumi and Luffy, though he noticed how angry Kasumi was. However, he mistook it for being angry at Luffy and called out to Kasumi. That had been a mistake.

“You finally tired of that crybaby? I figured you would be eventually.” Ace’s eyes flicked between Kasumi and a scraped up Luffy. He was a bit confused on the cut on his forehead and the scrapes on his knees but chalked it up to being a kid. But when his eyes flickered back to Kasumi, who had noticed him, he saw that the anger on his face had worsened. Neither Luffy nor Ace had ever seen him so angry. It almost seemed like rage, something Ace was accustomed to but the peacekeeper and sweet talker was never one for the emotion. Ace at least knew that much about the idiot.

Kasumi didn’t even say anything this time, just pulled out his sword and with a strong swing, slashed at Ace, who jumped back and grabbed his pipe. Ace tried countering as much as he could, but found the other to be much faster than himself, and with a smaller weapon, it was easier for him to get a hit in. The two clashed against each other in a heated battle and neither was left unharmed. Ace had a few cuts along his arms and face while Kasumi had bruises all over his body from the pipe hitting him. Long range had its advantages.

It was at the call of another boy that the two stopped their fight. “Hey Ace, I thought we were going to meet up! What happene-” The blond was cut short, staring at the three boys in front of him, who stared back in shock and confusion. Ace was the shocked one though, moving away from the two ‘crybabies’ and towards the blond. “Sabo, these idiots got in my way. Let’s leave these two behind.” Kasumi, having gotten over his anger could only stare in confusion while the two ran off. He watched Luffy chase after them and he shook his head, sheathing his sword and following after.

When he arrived, he saw that they had tied Luffy to a tree! Kasumi, once again angry, now at two opponents, went to unsheathe his sword when he saw Luffy actually chatting with the two. Though his eyes were red rimmed, meaning he had been crying over something. Kasumi knew he cried a lot, much more than he himself ever had so he let go of his sword and walked closer to the trio.

“Boo.” He had said, standing behind the two boys and watching them jump away from him in shock, getting a smile in response from both Kasumi and Luffy. “Thanks, Kas! Kas, this is Sabo! He’s one of Ace’s friends!” Kasumi, known for teasing Ace, had smirked a bit and crossed his arms. “Ace has friends? What a surprise to me. He’s never been nice to anyone.” Ace got up in arms, reaching for his pipe and spouting out insults and cursing at Kasumi while Sabo held him back and laughed. “Haha, Ace, you didn’t tell me that Kasumi was so funny!” Ace gave up wanting to fight Kasumi and huffed, now pushing Sabo off of him. “He’s never funny, just mean.”

 

The four boys had grown close together, promising to becomes pirates together. Though Luffy and Kasumi wanted to be closer to Shanks, Sabo and Ace only wanted to find some place they could truly be happy. Kasumi agreed as they shared sake together, saying he’d never be as close to anyone else as he was to them. That was why later that night, Ace told him that he was Roger’s son, hoping to bring them closer or break the fantasy that Kasumi had in his head about his ‘brother’.

“Ace, I know that we had a tough start, but you’re my brother now. No matter who your father is, you’ll always be my brother. Would it help if I told you a secret, too?” Ace had leaned closer, tears stinging his eyes as his brother accepted him. “My real name is Akagami Kasumi.” Ace, not understanding, leaned back and huffed. “What does that matter?” He grumbled, looking away. “I’m Shanks’ son. I’m a wanted kid, too. I overheard some marines say that they were looking for me. That they would kill me if they ever found me. Garp really saved me by sending me to stay with Dadan. I think I would’ve been dead by now.”

As his words continued, Kasumi’s voice grew quieter. He wrapped his arms around himself, looking down at his lap. “While Luffy loves Shanks because he’s a pirate, I love him because he’s my dad. But because of that, the world wants me dead. Just like- like how they want you dead, too. So we have to stick together, okay? The world won’t get the best of us. My dad said so. If he believed in me, I know he’d believe in you. And I believe in you, too. Pinky promise!” Kasumi knew that wallowing in pity and sadness got him nowhere, so he wiped his tears and reached his right hand to Ace, pinky up. “I know it isn’t as final as a cup of sake, but I promise to always believe in you.” Ace and Kasumi became closer that night, knowing they shared a very special bond.

So when Sabo died, Kasumi had to rely on that very important bond as he screamed into his pillow at night. He had been sick when Ace and Luffy were captured. He had been sick when he found out Sabo was dead and that Ace was missing. He had screamed in agony as he thought his brothers were dead, clinging close to Luffy and hoping that he would wake up and let him know that he still had one brother.

When Ace came back, Kasumi tried to be the strong one. He stayed at their side, helping patch up Dadan and Ace, changing Luffy’s bandages. He couldn’t smile like he used to, but he tried as Luffy cried to him. He sat with Ace, who held onto his hand tight enough to bruise and he made sure the bandits never saw a single tear. It wasn’t until he was well enough to go see Grey Terminal.

He saw everything that had been burned and fell to his knees, screaming out for Sabo to come back to him. No amount of ‘buck up’ and ‘be strong’ could save him from the intense agony that spread through him as he realized his brother was really gone. He clawed at the ground, rocks digging into his knees as he cried out for his brother to come back to him. He didn’t care that tears were dripping onto the ground, or that his nose was running. All he wanted was his brother.

Ace and Luffy had heard him though, and came to his side, hugging him tightly and crying while Kasumi finally let it all out. He had been strong for them for weeks. He couldn’t be strong forever though. He was still only ten. That didn’t matter to the world though. It took his brother away from him, regardless of how he acted or what he did. No amount of being strong could bring Sabo back.

 

It was a tough time moving on, but with Ace and Luffy at his side, it was easier to go back to the happy boy that he was. So when Ace announced he was leaving, Kasumi felt his nose twitch and his smile fall a bit before he caught himself and he beamed at Ace. “Follow your dreams!” He had said, but deep down he wanted to keep Ace by his side forever. So he’d never have another Sabo incident again. He didn’t even get to see Ace leave though.

A few months before his fourteenth birthday, Shanks walked into the Bandits’ hideout. It was the middle of the night and Kasumi had wanted to wake Luffy and Ace, but he had told Kasumi that his ship was waiting for him and he couldn’t stay here too long. So, that night, he told his father to go back down to the ship with his stuff so he could say goodbye to his brothers. Shanks had smiled, allowing it as he kissed Kasumi’s forehead. “I missed you.”

Kasumi had to try hard to wake the boys up, but both of them sat up, tired and messy hair. “Kas, what’s wrong? Another nightmare?” Ace asked, yawning and trying not to fall asleep. Luffy had fallen onto Ace’s shoulder, seconds from snoring when Kasumi quietly told them he was leaving. That had gotten their attention quickly. “What do you mean you’re leaving?”

Kasumi turned around to see Dadan and the bandits in the doorway to their room and sheepishly smiled at them before turning back to his brothers. “I have to go to the ship that’s in port as soon as possible. Someone is waiting for me. He said to say thank you to all of you for looking after me. He can’t thank you all enough.” Dadan had held back tears when he hugged her, but the two boys had burst into tear and tackled him to the ground. “We won’t forget you, so you better see us again, okay?” Kasumi had tearily agreed, pulling them close before getting ready, sword on his hip. “Dadan, if I ever find myself back here, can I come visit you?” He had never seen her choke on her words but she had to nod as to not cry in front of the bandits.

He made it to port sometime during very early morning. Shanks looked exhausted, as did Benn, but they smiled upon his arrival and hugged him tightly. Kasumi went to the back of the boat to watch the island grow smaller when he caught sight of Ace, Luffy, Dadan, and the bandits! He climbed up onto the railing of the ship, waving his arms at them until he couldn’t see them any longer. He had wanted to yell to them goodbye, that he loved them, but he knew they all knew it. They saw it in the reluctance to leave and the willingness to come back. The tears pouring down his face helped them see his true feelings as well.

He was going off on a new adventure and he was ready to face the new world with a smile, much like his father had. And he watched the sun begin to slowly rise, and he hoped above all else that his brothers would be able to make it in this world without him by their sides. Though he also hoped Shanks knew that if those boys were ever in danger, he’d be at their sides in a second. They were brothers after all, and his brothers had a bond no one could break.


	2. Working towards the future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world is always changing and Kasumi realizes that even he can't stop decisions that have to be made.

The Red haired pirates were a lot of things. Partiers, drunks, strong, capable individuals, even while drinking enough alcohol to kill a man. Kasumi knew this long before he was ever put on their ship, but seeing it up close is a lot different then when he had admired them from afar. He hadn’t been there long but he was already tired of the smell. But he dealt with it, making sure no one ever drank in his room and that his clothes were washed separately. He wasn’t a clean freak, but goodness did they smell rank sometimes. 

For one thing, alcohol smells disgusting. Smelling it all the time, the stale and bitter scent soaked into every board on the Red Force made Kasumi cringe and turn his nose away, not that it helped much. He hated it. He also hated the vomit that accompanied a long night of drinking by the guys. With Kasumi around, Shanks tried to cut back on his alcohol intake, but he was known for drinking! He was known for partying at every bar he came to. So it wasn’t a surprise to Kasumi when they stopped on an island and the first place they went was a bar. 

Most times, Kasumi would wander off on his own, promising to be back at the ship by sundown and that he would stay out of the bigger areas so no one would recognize his red hair. Though, most times he wore a hat or a hood to keep his red hair from the public eye. He didn’t like hiding who he was, but he knew why he had to do it. He knew a lot about the world, having only traveled it for two years. A young sixteen year old who saw the world with innocent eyes. 

“Kasumi, we’re almost at the next island. Are you excited?” Kasumi leaned back from the railing of the ship, a place he was often found as he stared off in the direction of where his family was. The smile that graced his face was one that often found its way there, especially when talking about the next island. 

“I can’t wait to see Uncle Mihawk again! Do you think he’ll be excited to see how much better I’ve gotten with the sword he gave me?” Shanks smiled and leaned against the rail with his son. He looked out at the waves and knew that Kasumi always stood here because it was where he stood when he had to say goodbye. 

“It’s where I hope to say hello,” He had told Shanks one day. Shanks hadn’t even said anything. He had just been watching the waves with Kasumi, letting exhaustion roll off of him like the waves rolling on the sand of the island they had stopped at. But he knew exactly what his son meant. He didn’t respond and he didn’t look at Kasumi. Instead, he ruffled Kasumi’s hair and pulled him into a side hug. It was in that silence that he told Kasumi all the words he couldn’t find. 

“I’m sure your uncle is just as excited to see you and your sword skills. Do you have his present wrapped yet?” The look that crossed the younger boy’s face made Shanks snort a laugh. Kasumi squeaked an apology and ran off to his room, wanting to wrap it up quickly since they would be seeing Mihawk soon. 

Leaning further against the rail, Shanks felt a presence come towards him he knew to be his first mate. Benn took a spot on Shanks’ left, forearms resting on the railing and watching the sun begin to drop over the horizon. 

“You should’ve told him.” Benn said roughly, taking a drag of his cigarette. Shanks sighed, letting his head drop forward as he thought of what to say. 

Of course he was supposed to tell his son, but really, he couldn’t bring himself to tell him that he had taken him from his family just to drop him off with someone else again. Sure, Kasumi loved Mihawk and spent as much time with his uncle as he could, but after losing a brother and being taken from the rest of the family he had made for himself, he had created this dependency. He knew anxious without it. If Shanks dropped him off with Mihawk, which he already had the okay from Mihawk, he wasn’t sure his son would ever trust him again. 

“Maybe I’ll change my mind before we get there. Mihawk doesn’t even like children.” Shanks sulked, tilting his head up to watch the sky turn various colors of orange as the sun rested atop the waves on the vast sea. The serenity he found in the sight made him reconsider leaving his son behind. He’d miss moments like this with him. 

“But Mihawk loves Kasumi. He has stated multiple times that he would take him on as his apprentice. Though he doesn’t want to admit it, Kas is a damn good sword fighter. He could rival you even.” Benn gave him a nudge with his arm along with the joking comment, making Shanks chuckle. 

“I know, I know. He kicks my ass all the time on the deck. Mihawk will be a much better sparring partner than a one armed man.” 

 

When they arrived, Kasumi hadn’t even waited until the Red Force was situated. He hopped off the side of the boat and sprinted towards where he knew the castle was. He dodged around wildlife of all kinds, jumping over stumps and twisting around trees as he rushed by humandrills. He ignored them all, in favor of finding his ‘favorite’ uncle. 

When he reached the castle, he was out of breath and hunched over with his hands on his knees. Sweat dripped down his brow and he wiped it away before quickly walking up to the castle and knocking on one of the large doors. It was opened not a second later and Kasumi tackled the man behind the large, unfriendly doors. 

“Akagami.” Mihawk stated, arms awkwardly held out while Kasumi held onto him. He very slowly moved his arms to actually hug the other back. It was a tender moment, ruined quickly by the sound of a very amused red haired man. 

“Aww, Hawky, I knew you loved my son!” Shanks joked, waving a package in his hand that Kasumi realized was the gift he had wrapped for Mihawk and one of the reasons he was here in the first place. His face burned with embarrassment as he realized he had forgotten it. 

Mihawk patted his head and he let go, stepping back to smile up at his uncle. “Hi Uncle Mihawk! Happy Birthday!” Mihawk smiled very gently before the smile was wiped off his face as Shanks hugged him, rubbing his cheek against the angry Shichibukai’s. 

“I missed you so much Hawky! Happy birthday, you old hermit!” Kasumi tried not to giggle, but watching two of the strongest men he had ever met act like this? He couldn’t help it. Mihawk flicked his gaze towards Kasumi, eyes narrowing as the boy giggled and it made him giggle harder, but look away, covering his mouth with his hands to try and stifle it. 

“Inviting yourself into my house again, are you? I’m only allowing Kasumi in. If he keeps laughing though, I’ll kick him out too.” That shut Kasumi up instantly, staring down at his boots. He took his present from his father’s hand, holding it behind his back. Shanks stepped back a little, laughing at his best friend interacting with his son, too used to being treated like this by Mihawk. 

“But Uncle, if you won’t let us in, how are we supposed to give you your gifts?” Kasumi asked innocently but Shanks ruined it by pulling Kasumi close and grinning in a way that meant he was ready for some trouble. “And where would we put all of this booze I bought just for our birthday?” 

 

He never much liked his birthday, but even Mihawk had to admit that he had a fun time with his nephew and best friend. He even shared a glass with the Red haired pirates, stating that he had to get some sort of enjoyment out of this, even if it was just some alcohol. Red hair always made sure there was plenty of alcohol for their birthday, the booze that his crew loved and that special wine that Mihawk always loved. 

“A damn good birthday, right?” Mihawk didn’t even look up to see that Shanks had dragged a chair over just to sit with him. Typically preferring to be alone, even at social events like birthdays, Mihawk had just begun to wonder if he should go sit with Shanks when the man himself seemed to know what he was thinking. 

“It isn’t the worst I’ve ever had.” He had gruffly murmured, taking a sip of his wine, watching it swirl in his glass. He let his eyes fall on his nephew, happily telling a story about him and his brothers, one he’s sure has been told a million times. The crew still fell over laughing anyways as Kasumi got to the part where him and Ace had to save Luffy from something or another. Mihawk had heard them too many times. He never got tired of that smile though. One that only his brothers and time with the bandits could bring out in him. 

“He looks happy.” Mihawk turned towards Shanks’ voice and saw the eyes of a proud father, as he watched his son send Yasopp off his chair with one of his stories. He knew what Shanks was thinking about. Had thought about himself many times throughout the day, but let it slip from his mind as he saw how happy Kasumi seemed to be in his company. 

“He’ll get through this like he gets through everything.” It was the truth and the only words Mihawk could think to tell his friend. “Even without his brothers here, or without you, he’s never been weak. And he’s never been one to dwell too hard on the past. He keeps moving. This is just another trial for him.” Shanks shook his head, turning back with hard eyes as he looked at Mihawk. 

“His strength is what scares me. I’m not sure how long I can keep protecting him. The world government are becoming more and more sure of his existence. I have to keep him here, with you. He’s my everything. I’m loving enough for two people.” The pain in his eyes made Mihawk jerk his head away, looking back at Kasumi. Kasumi noticed this time and waved happily, making his way over. 

“Uncle, dad! What are you guys talking about over here? Shouldn’t you be spending your birthday with all of us?” Both men looked to him, one with a more indifferent expression while the other got up from his chair and pulled Kasumi into a hug. 

“Oh but my dear child, I see all of you enough for anyone to grow tired of you. And Mihawk only likes each of us in twenty minute intervals.” Kasumi snorted a laugh, hugging his father. He buried his face in his father’s shirt, hummed before pulling back, gagging and pushing away from him. 

“You smell like a wet dog and gross alcohol! Stop spilling sake on your shirt!” Kasumi held a hand over his nose, leaning away from Shanks and groaning. Watching just how simple all of this was, Mihawk smiled, but then couldn’t help but laugh at Kasumi’s antics. Shanks sulked, both upset at his son making fun of him and his best friend laughing at him. In that moment, it was enough. 

 

As the night crept on, the others began to drop off, falling asleep wherever they had been sitting that night. Kasumi, knowing he was treated special, slumped against his uncle and weakly asked if he could stay in an actual bed. He hadn’t drank so Mihawk didn’t have to fear that he would throw up in one of the nice beds. He told him as much, getting a chuckle out of his uncle before being pushed towards the rooms. “You know which one is yours, mi sobrino.” 

Kasumi hummed and stood up, stretching his arms out. He gave Mihawk one last hug and started the walk to his bedroom. However, once he opened his door, he saw his father sitting on his bed. A little confused, Kasumi stepped into the room slowly, unsure of what this meant. Usually his father only came into his room to have deep conversations with him, or vice versa, so he was sure he wasn’t prepared for the depth of conversation he was about to have. 

“Kas, stop thinking. I can hear your brain overworking from here.” Kasumi snorted a laugh and shut the door behind him. He sat on the bed next to his father and leaned against him, eyes closing as he took in his father’s presence. “I’m sorry, you’re just not normally allowed in here after you drink.” Shanks laughed, shaking his head before he ran his fingers through his hair with a chuckle. That was one of his nervous ticks, one Kasumi himself had adopted, so now he was really worried. 

“Dad-” 

“I can’t protect you forever.” 

Those words. The words he had heard whispered during the night when he was supposed to be asleep, or in conversations as he passed by his father and Uncle Benn. Words he never wanted to be told directly to his face. He didn’t want to really think about what those words meant. They couldn’t mean anything more than a problem. And problems needed solutions. 

“What does that mean for me?” He asked weakly, head ducked down as he clasped his hands together tightly, seeing his skin pale from the pressure. He didn’t want to hear the answer, honestly. But he was taught not to ignore an issue. That he always needed to make sure he faced life honestly and with a good spirit. It was hard to face this when he didn’t want to hear the honest answer. 

“It means,” Shanks paused, took a deep breath, and tried again. His voice was shaky and it broke Kasumi’s heart to hear his father like this. So small and scared. Nothing like the boisterous and loud man he knew him to be. “It means, that I have to take precautions to keep you safe. There’s a lot about this world you don’t know and even more that you need to learn. So for now, Mihawk and I thought it best if you… stayed… here…” 

The room was silent. With how large the castle was, not even the racket of the crew could be heard and that left everything sounding louder than it was. Even as it was whispered in a meek tone, it seemed to echo in Kasumi’s brain. His father. Was dropping him off. At this castle. 

“Oh.” 

Shanks watched his son, the emotions that flashed across his face in quick succession before settling on determination. “If I’m being left behind, then I’ll make sure to become strong enough that next time we meet, you’ll HAVE to take me with you!” Kasumi jumped to his feet and whirled around to look at his father, a fire in his eyes that made Shanks want to look away. He looked so much like his mother in that moment. It made him smile though. He knew his little boy would be okay. 

 

The next morning, Kasumi had his bags packed and set in his room, even before the crew had woken up and all the mess had been cleaned up. He sat on his bed, leg bouncing anxiously as he waited for his father to come back to say goodbye. Not words he really wanted to hear, but he knew if he didn’t, the ache in his chest would only hurt worse. 

When his door creaked open, Kasumi was on his feet in seconds, smile plastered on his face until he noticed it was Mihawk in the doorway. That sent his smile away and he crashed back onto the bed, flopping onto his back. He brought his hands up to his eyes, hoping he could physically keep the tears at bay. 

“Your father and I made this decision months ago.” Kasumi’s eyes snapped open. He sat up a bit to get a better look at Mihawk as he spoke. “We made it with your best interest in mind. We had taken so much into consideration. Really, this was the only option that had the least amount of damage. Though I did expect you to throw something.” The attempt at a joke didn’t even bring a smile to Kasumi’s face. Instead he looked towards his window, a frown etched on his face that replaced the smile he usual adorned. It wasn’t a look he liked on Kasumi. 

“Uncle, I keep telling myself that this is for the best. I know this, in my mind. However, my heart doesn’t want this. I know I can’t change what is going to happen, but I wish I could’ve been more so it didn’t have to happen this way.” The way Kasumi tried to curl in on himself made Mihawk annoyed. Whoever made this boy think that he wasn’t enough was wrong. 

“Kasumi,” Mihawk reached out for the boy, but his father opened the door at that moment. 

“Kas- Oh, did I interrupt something?” Shanks looked between the two but became distracted as he was quickly hugged by his son. “No dad, we were just waiting for you.” 

 

Waving at his father as Red Force and the Red haired pirates left the island was something he had done so many times that he turned with a smile on his face to ask Luffy what he wanted to do today, only to be met with dark eyes and a man much taller than himself. Nothing like his little brother. 

Kasumi’s eyebrows knit together and his nose crinkled before he looked away, hoping that he wouldn’t start the waterworks again. Ace would make fun of him. 

If he was here. 

Kasumi shook his head, hoping to physically rid himself of the lonely thoughts, and turned to Mihawk with the actual intent of speaking the man. “So, what now?” He asked, watching how Mihawk’s look of pity was quickly replaced by seriousness. 

“Now? We work towards the future.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was finished yesterday but it was so late at night, I figured I would just wait until today to post it! Hope you enjoy it!


	3. Runaway Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akagami Kasumi is coming up on his twentieth birthday when he hears that his older brother has been taken by the marines to Impel down. In an anxious moment and with no thoughts on what he's leaving behind, he finds it in himself to bring Ace back himself.

_ Clang. _

“Shit.” 

Kasumi wasn’t one to curse, but there were moments like these that he felt it appropriate. 

He was laid flat on his back, sword knocked out of his hand and Mihawk standing over him with his sword pressing into Kasumi’s neck only enough to barely prick. The small sting made Kasumi’s nose crinkle but nothing more as he pushed the blade aside and sat up, wiping sweat off his face with the back of his, admittedly bloody, arm. He accepted when his uncle held a hand out for him to take. 

“You know, just because your father is coming to meet me today doesn’t mean you can slack off.” Though he helped Kasumi up, he pushed him back a bit, making the red haired male stumbled towards his sword. Brushing some hair out of his face, he reached down and picked up his sword in his dominant, left hand and took his stance. “Now, from the to-” 

“Hawky, what have you done to my son?!” 

Both individuals turned in surprise to see Shanks standing in the doorway, a large grin on his face as he leaned in the doorway of the ‘training room’. Kasumi, in his shocked, lost his grip on his sword a bit, fumbling to keep from dropping it while Mihawk sighs and sheaths his sword. 

“With Red Hair here, you won’t get any work done. You’re done for now, but later, we are going over that set again.” Mihawk patted Kasumi on the shoulder with a frown and moved passed Shanks, knowing that the two needed a few minutes to catch up before they actually have their meeting. 

The clanking of his sword falling to the floor was all Kasumi could hear before being swept in the comfort of his father. The two stayed silent for a moment, just taking in the serenity of being together before they were swept into catching up. Even with speaking on the Den Den Mushi weekly, it wasn’t enough for the duo. 

Shanks moved his arm from around his son to Kasumi’s shoulder, stepping back as he looked him over. The way his red hair swept over his shoulders before coming together in a low but long ponytail reaching mid back. Really, he looked much older than he had last time Shanks had seen him. It made the older redhead smile. 

“You’re growing up too quickly! Soon enough, you’ll be taller than me and I’ll be just some old geezer to you!” Shanks whined, pulling his son close and resting his chin on his head for emphasis. Kasumi laughed and squirmed, trying to get away from his father’s affection. 

“Come on dad, I’m not growing anymore, we know that!” Though he was only nineteen, he knew that there was only so much more growing he would be doing before he hit his max height. Standing at 5’10, he figured it wasn’t too terrible of a height whereas most people he spent time with were over 6’ tall, or some who were even 9’ tall. He winced as he thought about Joker. He never liked him. 

“Alright, well, as much as I’d love to stay and make fun of how short you are, Mihawk and I do have to talk about some very serious topics. That means no listening in, Mr. Sneak.” Shanks said with a laugh, ruffling Kasumi’s hair, loose pieces falling in front of his eyes and making him whine. He watched his father walked out of the training and he grumbled to himself about how they’d never let him live down listening in on one meeting. 

Once the door shut, Kasumi turned around to see his sword lying on the floor and cursed quietly under his breath at how he treated his sword. 

His sword. 

He scoffed a bit at that, picking it up and placing back in it’s spot on the table. It was just a slightly better training sword than he had when he was younger. It was sharper, though that was also chalked up to how well he took care of it. It was less likely to crack or break, but he was sure it would only do so if someone like Mihawk used it. Or the demon from the East blue. 

Though he wasn’t supposed to, Kasumi had done all he could to keep up with news from the outside world. From Luffy, to his crew, to the world government. Hearing the excitement of Luffy declaring war on the world government for his crewmate? It left Kasumi smiling for days, an excitement thrumming under his skin as he worked harder and harder at his sword training. If Shanks didn’t take him with him, would Lu- 

“Do you think Shanks will go save Ace himself?” 

Everything in Kasumi’s world came crashing down at that. He crept closer to the door, ear pressed against it as he listened to the crew speak in hushed tones. “I dunno, cap’n didn’t say nothing about going after Ace. He just said Kasumi ain’t allowed to know.” 

Kasumi pulled himself away from the door shakily, stumbling back into the swords table. He gripped it like a lifeline as he tried to piece together what he heard. Something was wrong with Ace? And Kasumi wasn’t allowed to know? Was…. Was that what Shanks was talking to Mihawk about? 

Without a second thought, Kasumi looked towards the second set of doors in the room and rushed through them. He raced down the long corridors, long since used to them as he turned corners and looked for that room they always sat in. It would be hard to listen in on, but he was getting better at concentrating enough to hear things he shouldn’t be able to. Mihawk was about to regret teaching him that. 

“It’s just- I’m not even sure I should be going to Impel down to get him back.” 

Kasumi didn’t even have to try hard, ear pressed against the door as Mihawk and Shanks spoke about who he assumed was Ace. It didn’t make sense. What would Ace be doing in impel down? 

“Keep your voice down. If your son hears one word of this, he’ll be gone before we even have a chance to stop him. Ace being in Impel down is unfortunate but there’s not much that can be done. I’ve got Roronoa and Perona, along with your son, to deal with at the moment. If you want to go, I won’t stop you, but keep in mind what that would mean if you showed up. You’re a very wanted man and as a Yonko, you have to stay out of most issues-” 

“This is my son I’m concerned about though! Ace is his brother, so I feel some responsibility for him, and I was close to Roger, I owe him-” 

Kasumi pulled away from the door, tears running down his face. He wrinkled his nose, stumbled backwards and leaned against the opposite wall to keep him steady as he took deep breaths as to not alert Shanks or Mihawk. 

Once his breathing was calm enough and the tears only pricked at his eyes, he pushed himself off the wall and careful, but quickly, made his way back to the training room. He needed his sword if he was going to be going to Impel down to get Ace back. Shanks may leave him behind but Kasumi would never leave his brother like that. 

 

Kasumi slid the door open and looked around for his sword when his eyes landed on a blue handled, black blade that was on the wall. 

Yoarashi. 

A beautiful katana that Mihawk was given after defeating a strong opponent. It was one of the most wonderfully crafted swords that Kasumi had ever seen and he didn’t know what drew him to it, but he reached up for it and took it off the wall with all the care in the world as he looked over it. The sheath was beside it, so he took that as well, sliding Yoarashi in its sheath and attached it to his belt. It felt like the perfect weight at his side, and with a nod to himself, he made to his room for extra supplies. 

He had money, what he’d saved over the years, some previsions, and a vivre ticket that he had been given by Shanks. “Ace wanted you to have this. I’m sorry you couldn’t see him yourself.” 

With quick looks out of his door, he closed and locked it, even putting a chair under the door knob to make sure he had even a few extra seconds to get to the small boat that him and Mihawk sometimes used for meditation purposes. 

 

It took them longer than it should’ve to realize he was gone. Their conversation had ended, but they sat in silence together, a discomfort growing in their minds as they waited for something to happen. “This doesn’t feel right.” Shanks said quietly. “Maybe I should just tell him that Ace is-” 

“Shanks, we can’t find Kasumi anywhere!” 

 

They broke his door down, looking around for where he could’ve been, only to find drawers and such left open and some even thrown on the ground. 

“Mihawk, I don’t think he’s h… here?” 

Shanks walked into the training room, confused as to what Mihawk was doing. He was standing in the center of the room, a small sword held in one of his hands. Shanks noticed it as Kasumi’s and wanted to sigh in relief until he saw that there was missing sword on the wall. A Kokuto that had been given to Mihawk long before Kasumi came around the castle. The kid wouldn’t have… Would he? 

“He took Yoarashi.”  _ Slam. _

Mihawk embedded the training sword into the wall and took a deep breath, as a green haired male, about the age of Kasumi came into the room. The look of absolute terror that fell on his face made Shanks feel queasy and hope that his son knew what he was doing. 

 

A runaway, a thief, and a fugitive to the one of the few places that felt close to his heart, Kasumi gripped Yoarashi with white knuckles. Raising the beautiful katana behind his head, Kasumi took his red ponytail in hand and sliced it off in one cut, feeling the hair fall to the boat and even some in the water. Brushing strands off his shoulders, he took in a deep breath and watched his reflection. He looked a lot like his father now. He looked away, running a hand through his short hair and felt an emotional weight fall from his shoulders. This was a permanent change and he was sure more of those were to come as he moved on towards Ace. 

In that little boat, barely big enough to be comfortable, he took out a small compass and Ace’s vivre card and promised that he would get his brother out. To the stars, the moon, the ocean. He promised. 

And as his tears fell to the sea, another being felt his pain as she watched him carry this burden in his heart that only he himself could fix. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short, I'm really sorry, but it came to a close all on it's own! So I didn't want to drag it on when the writing came together so well. I hope you enjoy!


	4. A little too late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi gets to Marineford with a little help from the sea and he finds out what it truly means to be on a battlefield. With time ticking down, Kasumi tries to keep the attention on him, if only to give Luffy the means to get Ace off that platform and out of Marineford.

A black Den Den Mushi sat on Kasumi’s knee, getting it working again only after getting it properly fed and watered. His eyes watered and he apologized profusely to the tiny snail. He had never had to use one before, having bought it long ago when he realized his father was withholding information from him at times. It helped him keep in touch with all that went on in the outside world. 

And because of this little thing, he learned that Ace was no longer at Impel down, but had been moved to Marineford instead. A very important Marine fortress that Kasumi had only heard about when Mihawk told him that Sir Crocodile had been sent to Impel down. After realizing the boy didn’t even know what he was supposed to avoid, it became Mihawk’s job to teach him what the Marines would do if they ever caught. Hearing that those things were currently happening to Ace… It left a bitter taste in Kasumi’s mouth and made his resolve stronger. 

 

When night fell, a young woman, though a bit older than Kasumi, stood behind his boat, walking perfectly on the water’s surface. Her white hair fell gracefully down her back, the moonlight giving a beautiful shine. Her icy blue eyes took in the sight before her and she felt a small pang of pity for the human in front of her. 

Kasumi had bags under his red rimmed eyes and tear tracks on his cheeks. She had never seen a creature like him before, with hair like red wine and freckles dotting his face like constellations. She reached a pale hand out to him, her long fingernails tracing his face as she took in the look on his face. The boy had been through so much pain, she could see that. But, he had prayed to the sea, and here she was, to deliver. 

“Whoever your Ace is, he must be important. Your tears held so much sorrow. I’ve never felt this compelled to help anyone. The sea is seldom so kind.” 

Taking a step back, her eyes flashed white and she raised her hands in front of her. The water around her feet began to swirl around her and with a push, the waves moved Kasumi quicker to his destination. 

The rocking of the boat caught Kasumi off guard and he blinked his eyes awake sluggishly, only to see what looked like a moonlit goddess. His eyes widened slightly as she smiled down at him. “You’ll be with him by noon, my dear. Save your beloved. You have the sea’s blessing.” And with another push, the boat was moving much faster and the goddess disappeared. By morning, Kasumi wasn’t sure if she was real or not. 

 

Kasumi waited anxiously, sipping on water in his bag as he asked his Den Den Mushi for the fourth time in the last minute, what time it was. 

“It is 10:39 am.” 

Groaning, Kasumi fell back in the boat, rocking a bit. Not that the tiny snail minded all that much, still resting on Kasumi’s bent knee. Kasumi glared at it, like it was it’s fault that they weren’t there quite yet. With the way the current was going, something he noticed from the moment he woke up, he was sure they would get there before three. Ace’s execution time. 

They had an actual time on his death. There were minutes and seconds being counted down until they took his life. Kasumi felt sick thinking about it. He knew that realistically, everyone had a countdown until their own demise, but that wasn’t up to anyone else to decide. The marines were deciding right then and there to play god. They were going to take Ace’s life, for something he couldn’t control. If he hadn’t spent all night crying, he probably would’ve started again, but instead, he just stared up at the sky and hoped that he would arrive quickly. 

“Purupurupuru.” 

Kasumi sat up in shock, the Den Den Mushi in his bag going off. He had ignored it all day yesterday, fearing the wrath from his father, but with how far away he was now, even his father couldn’t stop him. So Kasumi reluctantly answered the phone. 

“Hello?” He called out quietly. The resolve he had to save Ace was immense but he knew that pissing off his father was never a good idea. He had never been on this side of it though. 

“Kasumi, oh my god, thank god you’re okay. Your father is having a fit.” It wasn’t Shanks who called. It was Benn! 

“Uncle Benn, I am so sorry-” 

“Don’t you dare apologize, boy. I know what’s going on.” There was a beat of silence, Kasumi staring at the Den Den currently yelling at him. “You better save him. Make the pain you’re giving your father really worth it, okay? All of us are rooting for you. Even Mihawk. Though he’s a little pissed about the sword.” Kasumi chuckled awkwardly, knowing that Mihawk was a lot more than ‘a little pissed’ about stealing Yoarashi. 

“When all this is over, I’ll come back to apologize in person. I promise, uncle.” The Den Den smiled brightly at him and Kasumi couldn’t help but grin brightly back at him. “After all, the sea blessed me today. I know I can save him.” 

 

Just like his ‘dream’ promised him, it was just barely noon when he arrived at Marineford and he was not prepared for what he saw. 

It was chaos. 

There were pirates and marines of all different kinds fighting to the death. Kasumi noticed a few of them, Crocodile, Buggy, even Whitebeard was there! Not that he should’ve been shocked. Ace was a Whitebeard pirate. And Whitebeard would never let one of his crew go down without a fight. 

Kasumi’s boat slipped into an area that somehow had not been frozen and he hopped off, both Den Den safely in his bag as he rushed into the middle of the warzone. It didn’t matter to him anymore, he just had to get to Ace. Where was he-

“KASUMI!” 

Kasumi’s head snapped up to see Luffy running towards Garp, eyes trained on Kasumi, not on Garp at all. And ahead of them, was Ace. Chained up and kneeling above the whole thing. It must’ve hurt to watch it all without being able to do anything about it. Kasumi felt his blood boil. 

Others took notice of him, Kasumi awkwardly noted that Mihawk was staring at him with those dark eyes. It felt unlike the Mihawk he was used to, but on this battlefield, he knew there were no real friends, only allies or enemies. So he brushed by all of them he could, barely dodging some of the marines who recognized his hair color and made the connection in their heads of who he was. 

Kasumi unsheathed Yoarashi, the black blade cutting deep into a pair of marine soldiers while he rushed forward, trying his best to get up to where Luffy or Ace was. He could probably cut through those chains with this blade. He was sure of it. He was much stronger than he was last time he saw Ace. The anger bubbling under his skin, for Ace now, was much different than the anger he felt as a child at Ace. 

“You!” 

Kasumi looked a bit to the left and saw Buggy standing there shaking in boots. He has his hand pointed out and was staring wide eyed at Kasumi. 

“What is Shanks’ son doing here?!” He screamed and Kasumi felt the silence fall over the battlefield as everyone turned to see who Buggy was talking about. There, in the center of it all, was Kasumi. A young man who was quite the copy of his father. Not liking the attention, but glad it was off of Ace for the moment so Luffy could save him, Kasumi took advantage of it. 

Kasumi raised Yoarashi high above his head, the Kokuto glinting from the sunlight beaming down on it. With this katana in his hand, Kasumi felt like he could take on the whole world. With Luffy and Ace by his side, their dear Sabo in their hearts, there was nothing that could stop the three of them. 

“Today marks a day in history,” Kasumi called out, eyes looking around the crowd that continued to stare in awe but also anticipation. “The day pirates show the World Government just what it means to mess with us! No marine will stop us! No government will keep us down! Men, women, pirates! We’ll take back what is ours; our freedom!” 

The shouts and cries from the crowd made Kasumi grin widely, seeing his pirate brethren cheering him on! It was something so exhilarating that he almost forgot that there were real enemies here! Like Akainu. 

“Another son of a wanted pirate? If we can’t get you up on that platform with him, I’ll kill you myself. Here and now.” To Akainu, it sounded final. To Kasumi, it sounded like a challenge. 

 

Kasumi wasn’t sure exactly what it was he could do. His sword clashed against gun and sword alike as he dashed off, Akainu hot (pun intended) on his heels. The heat from the magma had Kasumi sweating, a burning sensation tingling up his spine. With this kind of distraction, Kasumi was sure that Luffy could get to Ace in time. 

That’s why when he saw Garp fall to the ground, Kasumi stopped in his tracks. A mistake that almost cost him his life. 

That was his grandfather. Though adoptive, that man still provided for him. Garp-san gave him a home, gave him a family. He took him in like he was actually his own grandson. Watching him hit the ground, it pulled at Kasumi’s heart and in his nostalgia, he stuttered in his escape. 

The burning heat had Kasumi cursing out, clutching his left arm as he held tightly to the hot sword in his hand. However, instead of being completely consumed by the lava, he was pushed out of the way and fell forward, looking back to see Mihawk shielding him from Akainu and a laughing Doflamingo holding his uninjured arm. 

Their eyes briefly met and the smirk Kasumi received from the Shichibukai had him shivering, even with the heat burning his skin. He had met Doflamingo a few times before, a con of being so close to Mihawk and Shanks all the time. He had never expected to actually have to meet the man though. He wasn’t sure if he should be thankful for the man’s help, or push him away and go find Ace. 

But Ace found him first. 

The sound of the platform breaking, bullet exploding into the platform from a large group of marine shooters had Kasumi crying out, trying to wrench himself from Doflamingo’s grasp to get to his brothers, maybe too late. 

The fire began to die down and as Kasumi lost hope, he saw the flames give way to Ace, and Luffy shielded by his flames. Ace’s eyes scanned the crowd briefly before find Kasumi’s and the brothers smiled. The relief they felt, knowing they were all okay, was enough for them. It gave them both a renewed vigor. Ace was safe. 

Now though, they must keep each other safe. 

Kasumi pulled out of Doflamingo’s grasp, watching the surprise on the man’s face as he sprinted in the direction of Luffy and Ace. Marines were surrounding them and they were fighting with all their might. It was so amazing to watch. But Kasumi, being a skilled fighter and swordsman, needed to do more than watch. 

With Yoarashi in his hand, Kasumi was making his way to Ace quicker than he would’ve with some normal sword. He was parrying, dodging, blocking, and taking charge of the combat as he took out marine after marine, and a few pirates who didn’t like Shanks too much. It wasn’t easy but the thrill of the challenge, the excitement that one wrong move could cost him more than just a burn on his sword arm. 

Which stung horrible as he pulled too much or moved too quickly. He tried not to reach for the injury, but his right hand twitched too often, wanting to quell the burn, ease the pain in any way.  _ It hurt _ . And not in a way that Kasumi was used to. Akainu’s magma was no joke. Kasumi made sure to keep that in mind, reminding himself not to be too cocky like he would with annoying, low level marines. 

Akainu watched him. After being foiled by Mihawk and Doflamingo, one which shocked him more than the other, he watched the legacy of Shanks and felt anger welling inside of himself. First, the abomination of Roger’s and now Shanks? Not to mention Dragon’s disgusting offspring. None of them were getting out of here alive.  **None of them.**

 

It all happened so quickly. 

Kasumi had just reached Ace. He was back to back with him, pushing Luffy down or out of the way to allow fire and sword to take down what Luffy couldn’t handle. They didn’t even have a chance to speak. No words were exchange, just excited looks and mild concern every few seconds. They were together now, this was supposed to be easy now. 

He was wrong. 

God, he was so… so wrong…

Luffy fell to the ground, hat sprawled in front of him. Akainu had been advancing on them and Kasumi was keeping the marines from shooting them, deflecting bullets with his sword and cutting down their weapons. Ace had made it apparent that he would either take on Akainu or die trying. 

Those were the wrong words to use, Kasumi realized as Akainu’s magma fist came down in front of Luffy. Luffy could only watch in shock, his body weary after using his second gear to save Ace. His hat was right there, he had to reach out and save it before the magma got it. But he wasn’t really moving. He couldn’t. Shock. Pain. Luffy could barely breathe. And as he held his breath, Akainu’s fist coming towards him, Kasumi screamed out. 

Ace jumped in the way. 

Kasumi was pulled back. A large hand gripped his upper right arm and Kasumi screamed out, reaching for his brother. Yoarashi was at his feet, forgotten as he thrashed and pulled to get away from whoever had him. They had saved his life, sure. If he had jumped forward like he wanted, he would’ve pushed Ace out of the way. He was willing to sacrifice his life for his brothers’. Whoever it was, he was going to kill them when this was over. 

But staring at Ace, time ticking slowly as the magma fist hit his chest, Kasumi felt the air knock out of his lungs before he heard the screaming. 

It took him a few seconds to realize he was the one screaming. The hand gripped his arm tighter, an arm wrapping around his middle to keep him still. He couldn’t even register the glint of gold that flashed in front of him. Instead, he could only reach out, legs kicking as he was lifted off of the ground. 

“ACE, ACE NO!!” Kasumi wailed. Tears cascaded down his cheeks and he rubbed at his face to clear the falling tears so he could see better. See Ace get up, continue fighting. Like he was supposed to. They were brothers. He wasn’t going to leave them like that. He promised he would never leave them like that. 

“Kasumi, stop-” The arm holding onto him pulled tighter, pressing Kasumi against a solid chest and Kasumi glared up, seeing a scarred face looking down at him with what he could assume was both annoyance and concern. But with the tears streaming down his face, he couldn’t tell and didn’t care, turning back to Ace. 

He collapsed onto Luffy, body going limp as blood poured from his wound. Luffy was holding him best he could, a look of disbelief on his face. He looked frozen. The only movements were from Ace, his mouth barely moving as he whispered words to Luffy. Words that Kasumi needed to hear. He needed to know what Ace was saying, Crocodile, please- 

Kasumi didn’t realize he had been saying those words out loud, sobbing louder as he moved best he could to get to his brother. It was no use. Not against the arms keeping him in place. The golden hook pressed into his side harshly but Kasumi could barely tell. It didn’t compare to the pain he felt from losing his brother. Nothing compared to this pain. 

He had failed a second time. How could he? How fucking could he? He promised Sabo that he would never let this happen again! He said he would train harder, that he would be the protector that Ace and Luffy needed! And now here he was, watching his brother die before him and he couldn’t even get Crocodile to let go of him! 

“Let me go! My brothers need me! Let me go, damn it! Let me go! Please! Please!! PLEASE!!” Ace’s smile twitched up a bit, tears dripping down his freckled face as he glanced over at Kasumi. He gave him a water smile and Kasumi couldn’t find it in himself to smile back. He could only watch, blurry eyed, as his brother’s eyes closed and his body dropped. There, in front of his eyes. 

Fire fist Ace was dead. 

His brother was dead. 

_ His brother was dead.  _

**Ace was dead.**

The grip on his body tightened as he screamed out, pushing against Crocodile, even with the man holding his arms. He was saying something to him, he might’ve heard his name, but Kasumi could only hear the ringing in his ears and the sound of his own heart shattering. What brought him out of his state was Luffy. 

Luffy started screaming. The sound loud and haunting. Tears poured down Luffy’s face. Luffy didn’t even care about the running nose as he screamed and screamed for Ace. Ace’s name. Over and over. And over. And over again. 

Akainu pulled his hand back again, even while Luffy was still screaming and Kasumi saw red. His entire vision was filled with it. Ringing filled his ears again and Kasumi wasn’t sure what he did, but those arms were no longer around his body. And instead, he was standing in front of Akainu now, protecting Luffy. Luffy didn’t move, but it didn’t matter. Because Kasumi did. 

Raising back his right arm, a yell left Kasumi’s lips and his skin turned a metallic black as he punched Akainu in the face. The magma dripped down his arm and he felt none of it, instead moving back to punch him again. And again. Until finally, Akainu moved back, ready to strike at Kasumi and the redhead instead reeled his arm back and struck the ground, a large earthquake shaking Marineford. Marine and pirate alike struggled to stay standing as the ground shook and Akainu was sent flying backwards from the magnitude. 

Kasumi raised his arm to do it again when blue fire covered his field of vision.The warmth enveloped him much like the familiar feeling of a loving hug and Kasumi felt his entire body go still, when a man stood in front of him, large blue fire wings behind him. 

“I’ll cover this, get your brother and leave, yoi! We loved Ace too!” 

Kasumi could only look at him in shock before the ringing stopped and he realized he was still in a battlefield and Luffy was being carried by a large Shark man. What happened in the last few minutes? 

Kasumi looked back at the man who helped him, only to see a large blue phoenix. “Marco.” Kasumi whispered, voiced filled with so many emotions. The relief of seeing a familiar face. How thankful he was that someone was helping him. The hurt of seeing his brother’s best friend. But now wasn’t the time. Taking steps backwards, Kasumi reached for Luffy and pushed the shark forward. 

“We have to get him out of here! And now!” Kasumi cried, remembering how Akainu said he wanted to kill all three of them. He might’ve lost Ace but Kasumi wasn’t about to lose Luffy too. His brother needed him now more than ever. 

If he could get Luffy back to his boat and the shark man help push the boat, they could get Luffy out of here quickly. Get him somewhere safe and start getting him patched up. The burn in his arm caused a twinge of pain to settle through his body. 

_ Get myself patched up, too. _

 

As he began moving forward, doing his best to keep the others away from Luffy and getting them closer to the little boat, Kasumi realized he left his sword behind with Crocodile. It pained his heart but he was not willing to sacrifice his brother’s safety for anything, not even a famous sword. Not even the only way he really knows how to protect himself. He realized quickly that maybe he should’ve though. 

Kasumi heard Akainu behind them, preaching about not letting any of them go. Anger flared in the redhead’s chest and he whirled around. 

“Get Luffy out of here! Take my boat without me, if you have to! I’ll find a way out myself.” Kasumi called out to his ally carrying Luffy and couldn’t turn around to even see his reaction, hoping that he would take this for what it is and save Luffy. 

Akainu reached a hand out, shooting lava forward towards Kasumi and the boy could barely move quick enough to get away from it. The spot he had been standing was now boiling with lava. Barely turning his head in time to watch Akainu strike again, Kasumi realized he was not going to be able to dodge all of these forever. Whatever happened earlier needs to happen again if he’s going to be able to actually stop Akainu. 

But the adrenaline had worn off. The exhaustion was seeping into Kasumi’s bones. Dodging was only getting him so far. He didn’t even know how far Luffy had gotten or how long he had been keeping Akainu from realizing Luffy was getting away. All Kasumi knew was the black spots seeping into his vision and the way he could barely move his arms now. He knew it wouldn’t be too long before Akainu got him, too. 

_ As long as Luffy got away. _

With that last thought, Kasumi’s body swaying dangerously, all he could see was Akainu’s disgusting smile when it all went gritty. Sand kicked up and Kasumi wasn’t sure what was going on anymore. All he could see… was sand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter actually tore my heart apart to write. I love Ace so much. And the foreshadowing I've added in for the rest of the story is insane. I hope you all enjoyed it! I'm sorry for the angst.


	5. The sacrifices of war

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crocodile comes to Kasumi's rescue but the real rescuer saves Luffy and Kasumi, taking them away from the horrid place and patching up their pain. In steps Trafalgar Law and he isn't ready for the trouble these two are about to cause.

The sand kicked up in front of him. Kasumi covered his eyes with his hands and took a staggering step back, only to bump into a solid figure. A hand was placed on his shoulder to balance him and before he could say anything about it, he was picked up and pressed into a warm weight. 

Blurrily opening his eyes, Kasumi recognized the man instantly. It was Crocodile, once again coming to his rescue. The extremely tall man had one arm holding Kasumi up against his chest, face pressed into his chest to keep his eyes from being filled with sand, and with the arm, he was doing his best to keep Akainu from getting to Kasumi, and by extension, to Luffy. Whatever reason he had, Kasumi didn’t know but he was not about to argue about the extra help when he could barely walk. 

Kasumi felt his eyes flutter, blood dripping off his shoulder and he swooned forward into Crocodile’s shoulder. He tried his best to stay awake but was doing such a poor job. All the energy he exerted was much more than he realized he had and now his body was doing all it could not to collapse. It almost felt like Crocodile was physically keeping him from falling apart. He kept a secure arm pressing Kasumi close, the gold warming up from the heated sand and magma that was so close to them. 

“You have to keep your eyes open.” The gruff voice shook Kasumi awake, feeling it in Crocodile’s chest as much as he heard it. He tried his best, fingers weakly gripping onto Crocodile’s jacket. His pain from his arms had him tensing up, wincing and sucking in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. At least the pain kept him awake, made him know he was still living if he could feel the pain. 

Crocodile shifted his feet a bit, shielding Kasumi from Akainu more so that the boy wouldn’t be open to the heat of the magma. Just from the wound on his shoulder, the burn that went most of the way down his upper arm, Crocodile could tell that the boy had been too close to the heat and it nearly cost him his life. 

He saw Doflamingo push him out of the way. Akainu was going for the boy’s head. He was going in straight for the kill. A son of Shanks’ or not, Akainu was not one to go to such lengths. But the way he killed Fire Fist and his attempt at killing both Luffy and Kasumi, Crocodile only felt disgust towards him. Even in his own attempts on Luffy, he was never so brash. So brutal. 

Kasumi’s eyes glazed over again, giving way to the blurriness, and he leaned too much onto Crocodile, his grip on his jacket slipping as the boy began to tilt to the side in his arms. He couldn’t keep himself upright anymore and Crocodile had to pull an attack back to push the boy into his shoulder. Keeping him with both arms made fighting back a pain, but as he saw Jinbei and Luffy going towards the coast, he realized that maybe he needed to get Kasumi over there as well. He could easily defend all three if he wasn’t carrying dead weight. 

With his mind made up, Crocodile made quick work, curling sand all around Akainu as a diversion while he rushed over to Jinbei as fast as possible. Luffy was cradled in his arms, making his way over towards the small boat while taking cover from marines left and right. Crocodile wasted no time, pushing Kasumi into Jinbei’s arms, the boy instantly gripping onto Luffy like a lifeline. 

“Get those two out of here now. I’ve made my peace with Strawhat. I don’t owe him anything now.” 

Jinbei fumbled to hold the brothers in his arms, watching how Crocodile was turning on his heel in an instant and rushing towards Akainu, meeting him head on to keep him from getting too close to Jinbei and the boys. His sand attacks were the strongest Jinbei had ever seen and the look on his face of absolute concentration and anger made Jinbei realize all over again just how important this was. 

Jinbei came here to save Ace. Now, he was saving Ace’s treasures. It was all he could do for Ace and he was going to do a damn good job. Even if that meant handing them over to Trafalgar Law, the surgeon of death. So with the two boys, a strawhat, and a kokuto, Jinbei made his way towards the ocean. 

 

Jinbei watched the Polar Tang surface and Trafalgar was out on the front deck in seconds, no real rush to his steps while Jinbei was hurrying for the edge of the waters. 

“Let me take Strawhat-ya.” His voice was calm and unhurried, unlike the chaos happening behind him. Jinbei tried not to think about the sounds of Crocodile fighting against Akainu. Instead, he focused on the tired doctor in front of him. 

Jinbei shifted the boys in his arms and Trafalgar raised an eyebrow as he saw not one but two boys. And once he saw Kasumi, who was weakly glaring at Trafalgar, he took note of the injuries covering Kasumi. He also had one arm dangling over his brother’s body, like if it came down to it, he would protect him despite his own injuries. Trafalgar found it admirable almost. 

Almost. 

“All three of you, get on the ship. You all need medical attention. I’m not doing anyone any favors, but on a whim, I’ll help you three. Now get on the ship.” 

 

Everything passed by Kasumi in a blur. He didn’t exactly remember being handed off like some sort of doll, but he did remember holding onto Crocodile the best he could. He remembered protecting Luffy, remembered being hurt by Akainu. Remembered losing Ace. 

The colors had passed by hauntingly. He knew he was being moved into some room. The man holding him, or was it some sort of animal? He felt fur. His fingers twitched in an attempt to brush against the fur. That caused some sort of reaction but the white noise in Kasumi’s ears made it hard to tell. All he could think about was Ace and Luffy. 

When he got placed on some sort of table, his entire body shuddered and he shifted. His head felt like it was filled with cotton, but instead of listening to all of the warning signs from his body, he tried sitting up. More than that, he tried getting off the table. It took two pairs of hands pushing him down to really keep him down. He didn’t give much of a fight, but he refused to just give in. 

He weakly pushed at the hands on his chest, the hands on his shoulders causing him to hiss out in pain. He thought he heard some sort of rushed apology but he couldn’t keep track as another pair of hands, gloved this time, pressed into his left shoulder a little harshly, some sort of medicine being applied. He couldn’t keep the hurt cry from escaping his lips but from the dehydration and screaming he did, it came out as a strangled gasp. He pushed harder at the hands, though it wasn’t much before his world started going black again. He liked it better than the blurry. It was so hard to concentrate. All he wanted was to get to Ace. To Luffy. 

 

When he woke up, Law was not impressed. He was on the examination table, fast asleep one moment. Then the next, he was breathing harshly, eyes darting around in fear as he sat up quickly. 

“Bepo-ya, Penguin, keep him down.” But that did nothing. Kasumi thrashed and pushed at Bepo when Penguin placed his hands on Kasumi and he struck a leg out, knocking Penguin on his ass and spooking Bepo enough that the bear stepped back and Kasumi leaped off the table and dashed through the door. 

Law held a hand out to use his devil fruit powers, but he heard the startled boy yelling Luffy and Ace’s names and he couldn’t bring himself to shock him more than he already had. 

“He’s going through a lot of shock right now. Get him back in this bed willingly. I’m not having this kind of episode again. He won’t recover like that. Get him back here while I check on Strawhat-ya.” 

 

Kasumi had no idea what to think. He was trying to find Ace and Luffy. They needed him. He had some terrible nightmare and right now, all he wanted was to see his brothers. He needed to see Ace. Ace would wipe his tears and tell him that it was all okay. He needed to. 

Ace couldn’t be dead. 

Ace wasn’t dead. 

Ace wouldn’t die. 

Ace was dead. 

_ Ace was dead. _

Kasumi skidded to a halt, reaching his hands out to catch himself against a wall. His breathing came out harshly and ragged. He couldn’t breathe. He clutched at his chest, leaning more of his weight against the wall. The cold metal felt night against his heated skin but he couldn’t breathe. 

Kasumi pressed his forehead to the cold metal and then very slowly slid down to the floor, fingers turning white as he clutched at his shirt. The material felt too much on his skin. It all felt too much. 

_ Why couldn’t he breathe? _

He didn’t register the hands grabbing at him, nor did he really hear the voice speaking to him. He did feel his head lolling back and a rough hand keeping him mostly upright. His mouth felt like cotton had been stuffed in it and he hiccuped, closing his eyes tight and trying to grip harder at his shirt. He kept his fingers pressed into his chest hard enough to leave little marks but it wasn’t enough. 

He gulped in large breaths, trying to get air back in his lungs but he couldn’t help the too quick breaths he was taking as he fought the picture in his mind of Ace. In front of him. On the ground. Dead. 

“-own. Calm down!” 

The voice finally registered in his ears. Not a voice he had heard before but at least it was more than a faded out tone, like someone had been covering his ears. He blinked his eyes open, the light causing him to squint but he could make out a figure in front of him. He couldn’t see their face perse, but he could see their lips moving to speak to him and a hat covering their hair and eyes that said ‘PENGUIN’. 

“Pen...guin?” Kasumi whispered out hoarsely, watching the guy’s face light up and begin excitedly talking. 

“Yeah, my name is Penguin! I’m here to help, but I need you to stay with me, okay? No more kicking or pushing away. Alright?” Penguin was gripping his upper arms and it took all Kasumi had not to lash out again, being restrained by this man. But instead, he nodded, falling forward a bit as Penguin pulled him to stand up. 

When they tried to move him back to the room he started in, his legs gave out from under him and he collapsed against Penguin’s chest. In one swoop, Penguin lifted Kasumi up into his arms, keeping a firm grip on Kasumi’s thighs so he wouldn’t fall. Kasumi’s head rested against his shoulder and he found himself growing comfortable against in Penguin’s hold. Maybe it was the heat on the ship, maybe it was the exhaustion from the last twenty four hours. Seconds later, he was asleep. 

When he woke up, he was lying in a bed. A groan left his lips as he tried to sit up, gripping his shoulder at the pain that spiked through him. He shifted a bit to lean against the wall when he noticed someone next to him. 

Luffy was covered almost entirely in bandages. His breathing was almost nonexistent and he had bags under his eyes, like Kasumi got if he tried training too hard for too many days in a row. It didn’t suit his face, so Kasumi reached out for him, only to be reminded again of the pain in his shoulder. 

It didn’t mean anything though when Luffy’s breathing stuttered and his hands twitched. “A-Ace. Ne, A...Ace…” The tears collecting in Luffy’s eyes broke Kasumi’s heart. 

He didn’t care anymore about his own pain as he moved over to lean over Luffy, his good shoulder supporting himself while his other hand gently cupped Luffy’s face. He traced a finger over the scar under his eye and watched his chest even out as his breathing deepened again. Luffy was no longer troubled, leaning into the warmth of Kasumi’s hand. 

_ It’s not as warm as Ace’s hands. _

The thought passed his mind and instead of tears, a small smile found its way onto Kasumi’s face. He had his time to scream. He needed to be there for Luffy. 

“Hey Lu,” He started, rubbing his thumb back and forth over Luffy’s cheek as gently as he could. “Re… Remember when Ace… When he used to sit in the tree house with us and he’d let us braid his hair?” Kasumi’s bottom lip wavered and he bit it, trying to contain his emotions at bay. “You were never very good, but he still let you. Even when you pulled too hard.” A small laughed passed his lips as he remembered his brothers running around the tree house because Luffy kept tugging on Ace’s hair. It was sweet. The ache in his chest lessened just a little. 

“He really loved you.” 

 

When Law next came in to check on Luffy and Kasumi, he was not all that shocked to see that Kasumi had moved, but he was relieved when he saw Luffy holding Kasumi’s hand. It looked a little painful, how hard he was squeezing. But the smile on Kasumi’s face, even as he slept, told Law all he needed to know. He didn’t care about their feelings though, just that the two were recovering well. Though Kasumi’s wounds were mostly internal or burns, it was still hard getting him back on his feet. The emotional side of the recovery wasn’t looking promising. Even with the smile on Kasumi’s face. 

He had seen that same face filled with fear and tears as he searched uselessly around the room for his siblings. Law sighed quietly, sitting at his desk to look over their charts in the meantime. 

 

When they surfaced and found Boa Hancock and the marine ship she had overtaken, Law was ready to commit murder. She was getting in his way, even as she showed concern towards one of his patients. 

“I don’t care about Akagami. I care about Luffy. Let me take him back to my island. Please.” 

Law knew that both boys were lying in separate beds, Kasumi had to be removed because of his shoulder and Luffy needed to be alone because of how severe all of his wounds were. Not to mention the bruising on Kasumi were taking longer to heal because he kept bumping them and ignoring the pain. What troublesome patients. 

“I’m not letting anyone take either of t-” 

“Where is he? Where is my star?” 

Everyone standing outside the Polar Tang turned to see a beautiful woman standing in the sea. Her pure white hair blew in the breeze and the long, elegant dress she donned spread behind her and into the sea. 

No one knew how to react. Here before them stood an actual goddess, standing on an ocean that should’ve been raging but was instead so calm that the breeze was the only ripple that bothered the waters. 

Her hands twirled a piece of her starlight hair and Law caught sight of the many different rings on her hands, covered in various gemstones and made of the shiniest silver. She must’ve been wealthy, and some kind of sorceress to stand on the ocean like that. 

“Your… star?” Penguin asked. He was the first to break the silence, though it was more of an accident. He even covered his mouth with a gloved hand while the polar bear beside him went stock still. Even Boa Hancock was silent, though Law chalked that up to her silent seething. 

“Yes, my star. The young boy with constellations on his face and hair like wine. I need to see him. I need to know he’s okay.” Immediately, Law knew she was talking about Kasumi, but before he could assure her that he was doing okay, she continued speaking. “It’s my fault that he’s like this. If I had just kept him, like I had originally planned, he would’ve never ended up in this state.” 

That caught Law off guard. He hadn’t seen anyone else with Kasumi when they left. Sure, there was Crocodile, but he wasn’t some lovely lady in disguise. So Law made the choice. 

“Who are you?” 

Her eyes hardened and she glared at Law, taking quick steps across the ocean to lean against the railings of the Polar Tang, arms straight to keep her at Law’s height. “I am the goddess of the sea, and I am asking you politely to let me see him. Now.” 

Penguin and Bepo hugged each other in fear as the sea behind the goddess became a raging storm and pushed the marine ship back and forth, along with rocking the Polar Tang. Law was barely affected, watching her hair fan out behind her, much like her dress, as she commanded the sea to show a fraction of the storm she felt in her heart. He walked forward, staggering a bit from the rocking submarine and stood directly in front of the ‘goddess’. 

“I’ll only let you see him if you stop with the theatrics.” 

She brushed by Penguin and Shachi, both men covering their faces as their noses bled from the sight of the woman in front of them. An actual goddess. She gave them no mind, having given up on humans a long time ago. She thought so. But here she was, swinging a door open so hard that it slammed with a  _ bang _ and there laid her star. 

His face was twisted in pain and sweat was beading on his forehead. He was twitching in his sleep, the blanket over him sliding down his chest as he moved about. 

“Bepo, I need-” 

They all watched in complete shock as the goddess sat at Kasumi’s side and very gently brushed her fingers over his face. She traced over the constellations she found on his cheeks and placed a kiss on his forehead. She lingered, running one of her hands through his hair before leaning back to look at her work. 

He went still instantly. His breathing evened out and he sighed long and low. Law worried for a second that she had taken his life, but as he breathed in again, he let out his own silent sigh. Kasumi and Luffy were becoming problems. He wondered if they were really worth all this work. 

 

Through the whole journey to Amazon Lily, the goddess remained on the Polar Tang and she absolutely refused to leave Kasumi’s side. Though it made Law’s job a little easier, only needing to take care of Jinbei and Luffy, he was still wary of the woman on his ship. She was made herself too comfortable, sitting in Kasumi’s bed, keeping watch over him. The look in her eyes was more like a wife waiting for their beloved, not of a goddess looking over some stray human. 

When they arrived at Amazon Lily, Law knew the village would be upset at their being here, but he didn’t think they would be this upset. 

“You may bring Luffy in and help him, but that other one. I do not want him near our village.” 

“But Elder, he’ll be on the other side of the island. You won’t even need to see him. He’s Akagami’s son. Please, he is terribly injured.” Boa Hancock may not have liked Kasumi, more so because she was jealous of the love he received from the so-called goddess, she would never cast him out when he needed help. 

“I’ve spoken. It is final-” 

“My dear, may I speak for but a moment.” 

The elder woman’s eyes went wide as she stared at the woman before her. The starlit goddess was someone that didn’t show her face to the world often. 

“Goddess, my apologies. I had no idea that you were on board.” The elder bowed her head, as did many others as the Goddess stepped onto the ocean. Hancock felt a flare of jealousy at the respect the goddess received and refused to bow her head. 

“The young boy inside has my blessing. But if you would wish it, I will take him elsewhere. For a short time though, may he please reside here while the young doctor helps to heal him?” The elder was already telling them where to go to get to the other side of the island, with many young women going to provide them with food and essentials. 

 

When Kasumi awoke next, he couldn’t see much. The room was too dark and there was no real light except for the open door. He sat up in bed, his good arm supporting him as he stared at the source of light. It was faint, but it made it easier for his eyes to adjust. 

He slipped out of bed, blanket pooling around his ankles. He stood slowly, legs a little shaky from how long he had been asleep. How long had it been? He remembered fragments of waking. It all blurred together and he wasn’t sure what were dreams. The white haired woman had to be some kind of dream. 

Kasumi got to the door and pushed it open gently when he heard of the commotion. 

“Strawhat is ruining Amazon Lily! He’ll hurt himself if he doesn’t stop.” 

Kasumi pushed by at least three people in boiler suits with a weird symbol on them as he rushed out of the submarine. His name was shouted multiple times, but none of them were Luffy so he ignored them in favor of going to his brother’s aid. 

When he pushed the actual door to the outside world open, the harsh light blinded him so bad that he stopped at the railing of the submarine. He shook his head and climbed up, ignoring the blurriness as he hopped to dry land and looked around. His sight was coming back to him and he saw a path of broke trees, boulders, and scuffed up earth. 

“LUFFY!!” 

Law turned his head quickly to see Kasumi sprinting in the direction of where Strawhat had run off. He groaned, looking towards Hancock, the goddess, and Jinbei. “Those two are going to hurt themselves. I can’t guarantee I can help them if they keep doing this to themselves.” The goddess looked haunted, ready to rush forward when Hancock placed a hand on her arm. 

“Let them talk this out. They’re brothers. They need each other right now.” The goddess nodded her head sadly and Hancock retracted her hand quickly, hissing at how cold her skin had felt. Like holding ice. The goddess shifted at the pain she felt from Hancock. Her hand felt like a fire. It unnerved her how warm mortals were. 

 

“Luffy!! Luffy, where-” A loud crashing and animalistic scream to his left took Kasumi off guard and he had to throw himself to the ground to keep from being hit full on by a tree. Luffy was losing his mind. Not that Kasumi could blame him. He caused a mini earthquake after Ace’s…. Death… 

“Luffy, I know you’re upset, but please come back! Sit with me for a bit! Talk to me! But stop hurting yourself! Your injuries-” Kasumi was cut off by another scream and ran towards it to find Luffy hunched over on his knees, grabbing fist fulls of dirt and digging his fingers into the ground so hard that his nails began to bleed. 

Kasumi slid down next to him, shaking hands grabbing at his arms when Luffy looked up at him with such raw anger that he was too shocked to dodge the punch that got thrown his way. He just slammed back into a few trees, a hiss escaping his lips as the bark cut into his skin. He stood back up, one hand on a tree while the other laid limp at his side. He had slammed his shoulder too hard. 

He had never seen Luffy like this before. Anger was always Ace or Kasumi’s forte. Though Kasumi was never angry at the world like Ace was. If Ace was here, he would- 

_ If Ace was here. _

“Lu, please.” He whispered. Luffy stopped then, arm raised back and looked at Kasumi with vacant eyes before a little light came back to them and his arm trembled as he saw his brother injured before him. His arm fell back by his side and his shoulder slumped. He tilted his face down, hair covering his eyes before he started whimpering. The whimpering evolved into crying, then sobbing, then screaming Ace’s name. 

Kasumi limped to his brother, pulling him into his arms, even at the expense of the pain in his shoulder and back. Luffy gripped the back of his shirt, fingers digging into the scrapes and causing more blood to bleed through the white shirt Kasumi was wearing but neither seemed to really notice. Instead, they clung to each other. They were each other’s safe space for that one moment. Because come tomorrow, Kasumi wasn’t sure he’d still have Luffy in his arms. He could be taken away any day. Kasumi could lose him just as quickly as he lost Ace and the fear began to creep in as he clung tighter to his little brother. He would rather die than lose Luffy. He would've rather died than lost Ace, but... Someone had to make sure Luffy was okay. And Kasumi was ready to do just that, since he was a failure at keeping Ace alive. 

For Ace, he would do this. He failed twice now. Goddess help him if he does it again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got so long I had to cut it so I could upload this one and use the rest to start up on chapter six. This chapter had too much it needed to say and I'm not sure I got it across like I wanted to but I hope you enjoy it!


	6. The next step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Luffy spends his time recovering in Amazon Lily, what is Kasumi doing? Well, Law didn't really care to know, so he gave him to the first person who asked to take him off his hands. He was enough of a problem anyways.

When the two walked back to the ship, Kasumi barely made it back to the beginning of the path, losing his grip on Luffy and falling to the ground. Luffy made a wounded noise, watching his brother slump down to the floor like that, his shirt soaked in blood. It made bile rise in his throat and he called for someone, anyone to come help. 

Jinbei grabbed Luffy and Penguin once again grabbed Kasumi, claiming if he kept this up that he would be a professional Kasumi handler. Shachi laughed but Law did not. Instead, he glared at the two boys giving him issues. Penguin grew uncomfortable and carried Kasumi back to his room as quickly as he could. 

“You’re extremely light.” Penguin grunted, as he set Kasumi down on the bed in the spare room closest to the infirmary. He flipped Kasumi onto his stomach and with a knife he was used to handling, cut Kasumi’s shirt, one Law had issued when Kasumi got here. 

“It’s because of my teacher.” Penguin paused, almost cutting himself as he jerked the knife back. The material of the shirt was cut open, the blood pooling on Kasumi’s back open to the fresh air. Said redhead hissed in pain, clenching his eyes shut and gripping the pillow under his head to help ease the pain. 

“Your teacher?” Penguin asked, seeing that it would be easier than harassing him about his injuries and a good way to keep him awake. 

“He taught me to be a swordsman. He said that with how I use my sword, being lean and slim is better for me. I’m lighter on my feet.” Penguin disinfected the wounds carefully, watching how Kasumi didn’t so much as flinch from the usual sting. He had gotten quite used to this it seemed. 

“Oh? Our captain is handy with a sword. Maybe once you’re all healed, you and captain can spar a little. I’m sure he could teach you a thing or two.” Penguin looked over to see the black blade sword resting against the wall. Law had placed it there only after he had given Kasumi a certain medicine that would keep him asleep for a while. With how unpredictable Kasumi was turning out to be, Penguin didn’t blame him. 

“Hmm… I’d like that… Maybe I can thank your captain before that… I owe him a lot.” Penguin pressed the bandages gently, helping Kasumi lean up so he could wrap them fully around his chest and back. Kasumi let himself be manhandled, holding himself up mostly with his good arm. 

“He’s done a lot for me, too. All of our crew, honestly. Are you a part of a crew?” Kasumi shook his head then winced, feeling the tug on his shoulder. 

“No,” He said through grit teeth. “I was never a part of any crew. I wanted to be. But I didn’t think I was strong enough. I guess I was right.” Penguin looked at the other with sympathy and helped him lay back down on the mattress. 

“I know right now is hard,” Penguin paused, moving the pillow for Kasumi and pulling the blanket up over him. “And I’m sorry for your loss. I hope that once you’re healed, that you can move on towards becoming a better you. I’m not making any promises, but Captain saved and helped a lot of us become better people. Maybe he’d be willing to do the same for you.” 

Kasumi didn’t answer and Penguin didn’t expect him to. So he stood back, looking over Kasumi once more before heading for the door. He barely made it out the door when he heard Kasumi whisper, “Thank you.” He didn’t respond, only closed the door and started the short walk back to his captain. 

 

“Let me take him. The women of Amazon Lily are uncomfortable with any men here. I can take him to one of my temples. There are people who can look after him. You said it yourself, you want him out of your hair. I can take him.” 

Law and the goddess stood out in the warm air of Amazon Lily, sitting in the grass outside of the Polar Tang. Law rested against a tree, listening to the sea goddess’ argument on why she should take Kasumi. He still didn’t quite get her obsession with him. He understood Hancock’s. Luffy was a determined individual and had accomplished many things in the past. Law didn’t even know Kasumi existed until he got to Marineford. 

It left him uncomfortable, rolling his shoulders and keeping his eyes closed. He hated looking at the loving look in the woman’s eyes. Every time she spoke about Kasumi, it was like she was talking about a long lost loved one. It was unnatural. 

“I don’t care what you do with him. He’s not mine to look after and Luffy has said nothing about taking him back to his own ship. Do what you must.” It left him feeling uneasy but he couldn’t really stop her. Not to mention, she’d probably sink his submarine. 

 

When Kasumi woke up, he was extremely concerned. He could hear birds chirping and natural light spilled into his room. It was very different from his room on the submarine. He hadn’t even had a window. So why was… 

Kasumi sat up, very slowly pulling the blanket back so he could hop off the bed. The bed was a canopy bed, light blue silk flowing down from the ceiling. It gave the bed a soft blue coloring from the light seeping through. Kasumi ran his fingers over the sheets and smiled at how it reminded him of his room at Mihawk’s. It was all so expensive. Where was he? 

Pushing the silk aside, Kasumi saw a baby blue and white room. The furniture was all white with blue accents and the walls and ceiling were covered in constellations. The mapping of the stars caused Kasumi’s breath to catch. He stepped forward, stumbling a bit, and caught himself on the wall, fingers spread out as he brushed them over the stars. It all looked so beautiful to him. 

Kasumi didn’t know how long he stood there for. He was so busy looking over the map of the stars that he didn’t hear someone come into the room. A cough to his right had him jerking his hands back, looking to the man standing in the doorway. He looked to be about upper sixties with priest robes. Priest robes? Where was he? 

“My apologies, but I came to tell you that lunch was ready. After you slept through breakfast, I figured you needed some sort of food in you. It’s good to see you up and about. I’m sure m’lady will be happy to see you.” 

With that, the man stepped out and Kasumi was left bewildered in the strange room. What lady? Priests? His head began to hurt as he thought about it all. His memories were all really hazy and he wasn’t even sure how long it had been since he got to Marineford. Heck, since he  _ left _ Marineford.

When Kasumi left the room, modestly dressed in a pair of baggy black pants and a red shirt, he took cautious steps down the hall to the only source of noise he could hear. The clanking of pots had Kasumi assuming he was walking towards the dining room, but he found the kitchen instead and many people rushing around to get everything ready. 

“Oh dear, you’re awake!” 

Kasumi turned to see a plump chef walking up to him, wiping her hands on her apron. Kasumi turned to look behind him, seeing no one, and turned back to see the woman looking at him with a kind smile. He pointed to himself and watched how she erupted with laughter. “Who else, honey? Come on, the young mistress wants you seated beside her for lunch. Let’s get you out to her.” 

The woman hooked her arm around Kasumi’s, which he only just took note that his shoulder no longer hurt. How long had he been asleep? He didn’t get to think too long on that as she began pulling Kasumi with her through the rooms, giving a small tour that he was sure he would need again soon if he was to remember anything. 

“-and this is the dining room. Young mistress will be sitting at the far end of the table, so please take the seat to her left. No one’s ever sat there before. You must be so lucky, young man!” Kasumi smiled awkwardly and looked away sheepishly. The woman took notice and laughed once again, pinching his face and watching his face burst with shades of red. 

“M-ma’am!” He whined, very gently tugging on her wrists so she would let him go. She grinned and pulled her hands back, watching him rub at his sore cheeks. “My name is Nagisa. But I don’t mind being called ma’am. You’re quite the polite young man.” Kasumi only tilted his head away, pout on his face as he tried not to let Nagisa see. 

“Nagisa. Bothering my star, are you?” 

Silence filled the room. No pots and pans clanging, no footsteps, no words were spoken, and the air took a chill as another woman entered the room. Nagisa bowed and took a few steps back as the most beautiful woman that Kasumi had ever seen entered the room. 

The dress she wore was a dark blue and pooled at her feet. Her white hair was pulled back into a braid with flowers and jewels placed intricately. She turned her winter blue eyes towards him and he felt this overwhelming urge to look away, so he bowed instead. He couldn’t look her in the eye, no matter what he wanted. 

A chilling hand tipped his head up, and he slowly looked up to her eyes. They bore into his with both love and relief, something he was not expecting. With her other hand, she tucked a red strand of hair back behind his ear and smiled. She took a step back, removing her hands from his face, leaving him flustered. She glanced at the redness on his cheeks and laughed breathlessly at how the red tried to hide the freckles dotting his face. It was just too cute. 

“Please, my star, have a seat. I’d love it if you joined me for lunch.” And how could he say no? 

 

Lunch was different from what he was used to. He ate by himself while living with Mihawk but lunches with Shanks were always loud and obnoxious. This was too normal. Small conversations going on while everyone ate their food. It was so domestic and normal that it felt odd to Kasumi. Made him miss his family. 

_ If I can even call them that now… _

A hand reached out and took Kasumi’s, making him look up from his plate. The woman who kept referring to him as her star. She was holding his hand and it took all he had not to wince. It felt like ice, like sticking his hand in fresh snow. As someone who was typically very warm, it caused him to shiver. As did her gaze. 

“My star, you seem upset about something. Is everything okay?” The reassuring smile she gave him made him uncomfortable and he looked away, his eyes falling on all the others who were trying to pretend they weren’t watching and listening to what the two were talking about. 

“Everything is fine… I just, feel a little out of place. Not to mention, I’m confused. Last I remember, I was with my brother. What’s going on?” 

The woman sighed heavily, retracting her hand. Of course, he had to bring this sort of thing up at their lunch. She had hoped for some small talk, getting to know him first. Humans, she thought with an eye roll. 

“You’re on the winter island Tsukikage in the New World. The island of the sea goddess, in her temple. It’s a bit out of the way and no one has ever been able to find this place without the help of the goddess Tsukikage herself, but it seems you were a bit lucky.” 

Kasumi leaned back in his chair, thinking about how far away Amazon Lily was right now and raked a hand through his hair. At the sight of his frown, Tsukikage began to frown as well, reaching for his hand again. In his emotional state, he pulled his hand back and stood from his chair. 

“I apologize, but I need some time to think. This wasn’t what I expected.” And within seconds, he was walking back through the kitchen and towards where his room was. Not once did he look back and Tsukikage felt a wave of hurt fall over her. 

The others in the room felt it as well in the way the temperature dropped quickly. The corners of the table started crackling with ice and Tsukikage paid it no mind as she also stood from her chair. She walked swiftly and quietly towards Kasumi’s room, hearing the hushed whispers from the priests in the other room. She was also confused to his reaction. What had she done wrong? 

Kasumi hid himself behind the silk canopy and sat down on a chair at a silver vanity, trying to think hard on why he was here and not with Luffy. In all of the confusion, he had become complacent and allowed the situation to play out however it needed to but now he was at a loss and very annoyed to be so far from Luffy. 

Yoarashi caught his attention and he picked the katana up and looked around for his bag, his Den Den Mushis both sitting in a small pool of water next to it. At least they were okay, he thought with a smile as he poked at one to wake it up. It blinked away and looked up at him. He wanted to call Shanks to come get him, or even that man who had taken him and Luffy. 

_ Who was he? I don’t even have his number. I can’t call dad. He’d be too angry. I got myself into this mess, I have to get out of it. _

With his mind made up, Kasumi changed one of the outfits he had in his bag. It felt nice to be back in normal clothes, though the materials felt a little rough compared to the silk he had been wearing. He brushed it off, liking his training clothes much better than anything that lady could give him. He needed to get out of here. Maybe he could call Sir Crocodile…? 

A knock at his door stopped Kasumi in his tracks, Yoarashi attached to his belt and bag on his shoulder. His normal Den Den Mushi had been in his hand, ready to call Benn, Crocodile, anyone. He was actually a little annoyed to be interrupted. He was hoping to slip out quickly and make back to Amazon Lily for his brother. But he didn’t want to be rude quite yet. He wasn’t sure the motives. 

When Kasumi opened the door, Tsukikage was shuffling her feet and wringing her hands together. She looked up at Kasumi in surprise before throwing her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close. He tensed up at the action, arms held out at his side while he was squeezed. 

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking about how confused or emotional you might be! I hope you can forgive me.” She buried her face into his chest and felt that blush flaring up again as he looked down at her. She looked so fragile and tiny in his arms. He very carefully wrapped his arms around her, rubbing a hand up and down her back as she sniffled. 

Though he was extremely uncomfortable, he couldn’t just reject her. She was cold and trembling as crystal like tears dripped to the floor. He had never had to deal with a crying woman before. It wasn’t like dealing with Luffy. Mentioning food or playing a game wouldn’t make this better. So he hoped a bit of… affection might help to calm her down. Though he still didn’t know who she even was. 

 

When she calmed down enough, the two sat down on a plush couch that was nestled in corner. She kept her hands to herself, seeing just how uncomfortable her closeness was making him. It made her a little sad but she quickly threw that aside as she remembered watching him sprint after his brother. She had a lot to explain. 

“Akagami Kasumi, I took you to this island because Amazon Lily didn’t want any men there at all. They allowed your brother because of his connections to Boa Hancock but even Trafalgar D. Law was almost turned away.” Kasumi listened carefully, picturing what had been going on. He hated how long he had been sleeping. The flashes of memory. Trafalgar. Penguin? 

“I came to find you after the battle at Marineford because I felt… well, responsible for your injuries.” She picked at her rings, twirling them anxiously. “I gave you my protection to save your beloved Ace,” She felt a bitterness building in her heart at the idea of a beloved in his life but swallowed it as she remembered his tears in her ocean. “And I let you down. I came to collect you afterwards so you could recover here, at my temple.” 

The breath left his lungs and Kasumi leaned back away from Tsukikage, pushing away from her. “You- you- you?!” He couldn’t even begin to formulate his sentence. All he could do was shout his shock and try to scramble away from the goddess. 

“I’m sorry. I know that it must be shocking but I-” 

“I thought you were a dream! You can’t be real! You’re a goddess? I mean, you’re pretty but a goddess? Why did you choose me?” Had Kasumi not asked her a question, she would’ve swooned over him calling her pretty, but she only blushed and hid her face behind her white hair. 

“You cried into the sea. I had never seen any mortal, let alone of the human variation, feel such strong emotions towards another. Whoever your Ace was, he must’ve been important. I’m very sorry.” Kasumi hunched over on the couch, arms resting on his knees as he sighed. 

He glanced up at Tsukikage and smiled so softly that she blushed. “He really was amazing, Miss Goddess. He was my everything. I’ve had two pieces of my heart shattered now. I’m not,” He paused, leaning back and letting his head lean back against the top of the couch. “I’m not sure how much more I can take. I just want to see my brother.” 

It was then Tsukikage noticed all his things together. His sword had been set aside, his bag as well, a Den Den Mushi was sleeping on top of the bag, and he was dressed in his own clothes. Though she wanted to be distressed over his taste in clothing, she was more distressed at the fact he was trying to leave. 

“Were you… going to leave and find your brother?” Kasumi glanced at her tiredly, the bags under his eyes becoming more prominent the longer he was kept from his bed back home. He snorted a laugh and looked up at the ceiling. 

“Yeah. Though I know Hancock would’ve had a fit. My brother is too important right now.” Tsukikage sat up straight, hand resting on her chin as she thought. She tsked and stood up, walking towards the door as quickly as her bare feet could take her. Kasumi watched her leave in confusion before she turned back around. 

“I can’t allow you to go back. The ladies of Amazon Lily already told you to leave once, but I can get Hancock’s Den Den Mushi contact. Maybe she’d allow you to speak with Luffy?” Kasumi’s eyes brightened and it was enough for Tsukikage. She rushed off to find Hancock’s information. She had gotten it while waiting for Law’s okay on taking Kasumi back to the temple. She had Law’s too, and a vivre card, but she didn’t want to give that to Kasumi just yet. She wasn’t sure he wouldn’t leave yet so she’d just have to keep that a secret. 

This would be one of many secrets she kept from him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally hit 20,000 words! I'm extremely proud of myself, though I'm sorry for posting this so late! I hope you'll forgive me. Not the best chapter but I'm setting up for much better chapters in the future. This in between chapter is important.


	7. Forgetting the truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kasumi finds out that Tsukikage has been lying to him, it takes all Kasumi has not to immediately leave and never look back. His hesitance causes a strange chain of reactions.

Boa Hancock was not an individual who wanted to be bothered often. Even less so when she had her beloved Monkey D. Luffy with her. So when she got a call from Luffy’s brother, she wanted to groan. He could’ve had intentions to steal him away, or plans to come back and distract him from the real jewel: Hancock herself. 

But the boy sounded desperate and Hancock knew that if the older brother was upset, the younger one had to be as well. With Ace’s recent death, she gave a sigh into the Den Den Mushi and let Luffy push her aside. How unfair it was! 

“Oi, Kas! You won’t believe it here! They treat me like royalty and I get to eat whatever I want!” Kasumi smiled at the Den Den Mushi, seeing a mimic of his brother’s bright grin. He poked the snail’s head and crossed his arms again, resting his head on his arms. The vanity was a weird place to sit, but it was the only place he could have the Den Den Mushi sitting. 

“They treat me really great here, too. Goddess-sama is extremely fond of me and has me sit at the table with her. They make all of my favorite foods, but it isn’t the same without you there Lu.” Luffy frowned as the smile on his own Den Den Mushi fell to a self-deprecating grimace. “She says I can’t come see you.” 

Luffy frowned, crossing his arms and looking around the room. He was hoping something would pop out at him, that he would be struck with inspiration, but all he could see was Hancock. She didn’t really inspire him. 

“Well, where did you say you are? Maybe someone Hammock knows is near you and they could pick you up!” Kasumi shook his head, laughing. Luffy didn’t really listen to him, did he? 

“Lu, I can’t. The ladies of Amazon Lily don’t want me-” 

“They said that you’re allowed after the incident with the goddess lady.” Kasumi brought a hand up, ready to argue when he bit back his words. What did he mean? She told him that he wasn’t allowed back. There was no talk about exceptions. 

“Because she liked you so much, they said that you’re allowed here whenever you like! So come see meeeeeeeeee.” Kasumi wanted to smile, knowing the pout Luffy sported. The whining was something he always missed, even when he lived with Mihawk- 

Kasumi felt a whine building in his throat, but since he was the older and more mature one, he held back and only buried his face in his arms. “But she said-” A gasp was heard and it jolted Kasumi’s head up. “Wait, did she lie to you?!” 

 

Tsukikage paced back and forth, twirling her rings anxiously as she waited to hear from Kasumi on everything going on with his brother. While she genuinely did care for the Strawhat boy, she hoped that there was no loop hole on how Kasumi would be able to go back before she was done with him. She needed the freedom he could give her, not that he needed to know that. 

“TSUKIKAGE-SAMA!” 

Tsukikage turned her head in surprise, seeing a very angry Kasumi stomping up the alter to where she was pacing. Her throne was right behind her, but ever since she found Kasumi, she had been too anxious to really sit. 

Putting on her best smile and taking quick steps toward him, Tsukikage held her hands out to take his. She was shocked when he slapped her hands away, a glint in her eyes unlike anything she ever seen. A gasp left her lips and she took a hesitant step back while some of the servants rushed to hold Kasumi back. Though they had his arms, Tsukikage knew that he could easy toss all of them aside. 

“Did you lie to me?! Are you keeping me from my brother?!” Though her skin was already pale, she felt as though she had lost the last bit of color that her delicate skin held. She took another hesitant step back, the water flowing through the temple beginning to freeze from how cold she was making the room. The servants began to shiver as their goddess grew upset. 

“I would never-” 

“Then why can’t I go back to him? Tell me again, to my face, why I’m not allowed back at Amazon Lily!” She looked him in the eye, seeing the seething anger and knew that she had been caught. If she lied, he’d call her out. If she told him the truth, he’d only be more furious. She weighed her options. 

“You are.” Her voice was like cold steel, digging into Kasumi with only two words. He shook his head, pulling at the servants who held him back from grabbing the goddess. “You are, but I don’t want you to leave yet.” She turned away from him, waving a hand gracefully and allowing the temperature in the room to return to normal. The running water unfroze and began to course through the temple once again as she took her seat in her throne. 

She waved another hand at her servants, causing them to let go of Kasumi. He rolled his shoulders, confused at the action but still extremely annoyed. Watching how she dropped into her chair so defeated though, he stuttered a bit in his anger. Not one to cause unnecessary harm, he questioned if he should’ve asked calmly first. But then he remembered his brother’s anger at Kasumi being lied to and he felt the anger building back up again. 

“My star, there are many things I need to say to you right now. I’m not sure where to start but you deserve something.

“I am the goddess of the sea, Tsukikage. You know that. What you don’t know is I’ve been alive for many, many years. Much longer than the world you know it as has even existed. I remember when the islands were nothing more than volcanic rocks, unusable for any living creatures. I’ve seen this world evolve and become what it is today. It’s been a long time.  
“I, as the sea, have craved nothing but freedom. Being immortal, being an eternal being, I got what I thought I was craving. But seeing everything around me moving and living and just… being? It hurt to watch and know that I could never have the life they have. I want to be a part of their world. More than anything. I’ve wanted this for so many years. Until now, I never thought it possible, but you are the freedom I’ve been looking for. A pirate, a swordsman, you do whatever you please. You left your family behind to save Ace. You just live in the moment. I can not do something like that. I can’t even leave the temple. I’m only allowed to leave during the night. I wish… I wish I could.” 

The way her face fell to a grimace hidden as a smile, it made Kasumi’s heart ache. Someone living forever? Watching everything they knew crumble and move on while she was stuck forever? Kasumi lost two of the most important people in his life. If he had to outlive Luffy? Shanks? Benn? Without thinking, Kasumi’s hand reached up and clutched his chest at the thought. He had had enough heartache for a lifetime in a few years. She had an eternity of heartache. 

“What… What can I do to help you?” Her light blue eyes turned to stare into his determined sapphire eyes and she felt her face heat up and her heart beat faster. She had never fallen in love with a human before but she was certain that was the feeling she felt. He was willing to help her. He was willing. 

She stood from her throne chair and walked behind the chair. Kasumi leaned to the left, trying to peak at what she was doing when he heard a small  _ ding!  _ of something small clattering to the floor and a soft rustling. 

A small blue gem bounced into his view, ringing loudly each time it graced the floor before stopping in front of his shoe. It was mesmerizing. A swirl of blues hidden inside of what looked like a glass casing made the object almost seem… alive? It was hard to describe, but Kasumi felt a pull to the object. His interest was piqued, so he reached down to pick it up. 

In his palm felt like he was holding a most precious object. Something so small held so much weight and so much warmth. It was beautiful and nostalgic. Like a piece of a soul, or the essence of a living being. He’d never really thought about it before, but maybe this was what a soul really felt like. His hands trembled as he realized the severity of what he was holding. No matter what it was, it felt like so much. He wasn’t sure if he should even be touching it. 

Kasumi walked behind the throne, holding the gem in both hands to ensure its safety. He needed to hand it back to her, certain it was too important to belong in hands like his. They were rough with war and fighting. They were shaking. He couldn’t hold onto anything worth this much. No matter what it was worth. He was barely worth his sword. 

When Kasumi stepped behind the throne, his mouth open in a gasp as he saw Tsukikage sprawled on the floor. Her dress and hair flowed around her and her chest did not rise or fall with any breath. She looked so peaceful, lying there upon the cold stone. He wasn’t even certain she was dead, if not for the way her once dark blue dress began to lose its color and became as white as her hair, like it had bled out for a being who could not bleed. 

One of her hands, so small and frail, rested upon the ground with something in it. A ring,

it looked like. With a gentle hand, Kasumi reached down and picked it up, looking over the black band. It was dotted with white stars and had a slot on the top, void of any gem. Written inside the ring were the words, ‘With freedom, comes life’. Life. Kasumi looked at the tiny blue gem, the life he was holding, then the ring, and carefully placed it in the ring. It was a perfect fit. The gem sat snug in the ring and twinkled from the sunlight streaming into the temple. It didn’t feel right. 

Kasumi pocketed the ring. Then without a second thought, he picked Tsukikage up bridal style and carried her out to the servants. He wasn’t sure of what else he could do for her. He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to do with the ring. Hell, he wasn’t sure what to do as he held her in his arms. It all felt so wrong and he felt responsible. He wished he’d never decided to help her. Maybe she would still be there with him. 

When Kasumi brought her out to the servants, there were various shouts of surprise and gasps. Some glass shattered and a loud  _ clang _ from the kitchen could be heard. He faltered, seeing all their faces. They looked at him like a murderer, like he had done something wrong. And in a way, he had. He took their goddess away from them. 

The priest who came to find him the first morning parted the crowd of servants and stood before Kasumi. He looked at the goddess, then at Kasumi and took a deep breath. Turning back towards the other servants and priests, the old man raised a hand, asking for complete silence. 

“Ever since we came to provide for our goddess, we knew that one day she would crave freedom more than the life she had here. We should’ve prepared ourselves when she brought this outsider with her. She knew what she was doing and was ready to do whatever it took.” The priest turned back to Kasumi. 

“For what you have done for her, we thank you. She has been waiting for this moment for hundreds of years now. We have all been waiting.” Waving a hand around the room, they all looked down at their hands, seeing rings much like the one that Kasumi received. Were they all living here for hundreds of years? 

“You have done your part, Akagami Kasumi. It is our turn now, to do what must be done for her. Please, follow me.” The priest walked back into the parted crowd and beckoned for Kasumi to follow him, which he did with only minimal hesitation. They’d all been slaves to eternity. He shuddered at the thought and took quick steps, hoping that if he busied himself with this, he’d forget all about the others. He couldn’t save all of them like he had done for her. A temple that lived forever. 

The priest brought him into a room made entirely of crystal and glass. Steps lead up to a long, crystal table and beside it sat a single glass chair. It had been made like a tomb, waiting for their goddess to be placed here and sealed for eternity, maybe with all of them sealed forever as well. 

Kasumi laid Tsukikage on the crystal, watching the reflection of his own face. It felt odd, how colorless the entirety of the room was. How in it, was one single individual and she was as dead and colorless as the rest of the room. Kasumi felt like he could throw up at any moment. He had to look away from her. No matter how beautiful and captivating she was, he found he couldn’t bring himself to look over her lifeless corpse. 

“Young man,” Kasumi turned to the priest, seeing him take the seat next to Tuskikage. He placed a wrinkled hand on one of the goddess’ frail and dainty hands. Taking her hand in his, he ran his thumb over her knuckles. The look in his eyes made Kasumi flinch, like a father who lost his child. It must’ve hurt to see her like that. 

“The doctor who saved you left this vivre card for you. Go and find him. He is one of the few who can actually help her. I know I said you’ve done your part, but-” 

“I would be happy to go find him for her. I’ll bring him back, I promise.” 

 

He never meant to break that promise, but with the goddess of the sea lying lifeless in her temple, the seas were ruthless and relentless. Waves upon waves crashed down upon Kasumi. No amount of experience sailing could save him from the storms plaguing the sea. When the ship capsized, he thought, ‘This is it. I’ve broken another promise.’ 

Law walked along the shores of Punk Hazard, shuffling along as he took the time to breathe. He’d had too much on his mind, too much going on. He had hoped for a relaxing walk. What he got was a washed up young man, struggling to take in gulps of air and throwing up sea water. He wasn’t even awake, just struggling to stay alive. 

As Law inspected closer, grabbing the man and pulling him further up the shore, he realized with a long groan that it was not just anyone but one of his most recent patients. And he was sporting a nasty head wound, along with throwing up shocking amounts of seawater. 

“Kasumi, Kasumi, wake up.” Shaking the man a bit, Kasumi’s dark blue eyes opened slowly, staring up at Law with confusion. He tried sitting up, leaning heavily against Law and looking around the beach in utter shock. 

“Why aren’t we on the ship? What happened? Where’s Luffy?” Law leaned back a bit, wiping a hand over his forehead as he thought it over. Of course it would be his luck to get an amnesiac Kasumi. These next few days were going to be fun, Law thought sarcastically as he helped Kasumi up to his feet and they trudged back towards Law’s vacation house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for missing a day! I had a bit of writers block, but I promise that I will do much better with the rest of the chapters. I've got so many ideas for this story!! Hope you enjoyed. Sorry if it's all over the place.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I've had this idea for a One Piece OC for a long time! Akagami Kasumi just wants to prove to the world that anyone can be as strong and amazing as his father and has to keep his identity hidden as he meets people who he comes to learn would kill any relative of Shanks'. But being a brother of Luffy's and a pirate's child to boot, he's a tough kid who doesn't let the world keep him down. He's going to be a lot like his father, and maybe a bit like his mother too! 
> 
> This all got written in a few hours, would you believe it? I'll try to keep the chapters short enough not to be too annoying but I need a long fic to help me with my writing. If you'd like, tell me what you think about it and I'd love to hear how you think this story will go or your thoughts and ideas about it! I'll keep you posted! 
> 
> -Love,  
> A ginger who can not read


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